Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Zimbabwe’s Own Factionalized Mafia: A Symbiosis of Politics and Business as Profit.

 By Takura Zhangazha*

When the political slogan, “The ease of doing business” emerged from the ranks of a post 2017 coup-not-a coup Zanu Pf many progressive Zimbabwe activists assumed it was a wrong and unacceptable ideological neoliberal disposition.  One which we also regularly sought to argue against but with limited impact because of the euphoric tendencies of political change processes.  Especially after the fall of Robert Mugabe in November 2017. 

This essentially meant that the not so new political leaders of Zimbabwe could claim a new clean slate as to how to run the country post Mugabe.  Their argument being that we were now in what they referred to as the “Second Republic of Zimbabwe”.  A quasi revolutionary term that was meant to signify a new beginning. 

With the full knowledge of the popularity of any post Mugabe dispensation in its infancy. Mnangagwa’s new government made sure to court the international community by almost immediately cancelling the then national indigenization economic policy and promising a review of its relations with former white commercial farmers.  It also sought to assuage any fears from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of any further political instability. 

With the promise that there would not be another ‘coup-not-a-coup’ if elections were held as scheduled in 2018. And if they were also recognized as legitimate by the same said regional body. 

With Zanu Pf’s contested but eventually internationally accepted 2018 electoral victory there was a revived pathway for a new reconfiguration of Zimbabwe’s political economy.  That is, a changing of the guard of our country’s national political economy.  Inclusive of a payback checklist as to who should be rewarded with portions of the national political-economic cake.

And this was initially done in elitist fashion and diligently  with large scale Chinese investment projects that were partly carry overs from the previous government but were immediately expedited. 

Or Russian and Eastern European mining, agricultural, transport and other concessions that would indicate to them that they were key priority countries’ in a different and less ideological  Zimbabwean foreign policy trajectory. 

Together with the urgency of courting our former colonial power the United Kingdom (UK) to take a softer economic stance toward Zimbabwe and its again not so new post Mugabe leaders over and about individual or state related enterprises and their sanctions. 

The intention of all of these actions was to create what I consider an optimum economic environment that would facilitate as they sloganeered the 'ease of doing business' in Zimbabwe.   

This meant assuring local white and its linked indigenous private capital that the new government was not going to interfere directly in their everyday profit motivated activities. 

An assurance that also went further with black private and state capital that they would not have any problems linking up with globalized financialized capital be it in mining, agriculture, education, tourism currency exchanges and property development.  Hence the overture of seeking to compensate former white commercial farmers and urgently meet the grievances of Bilateral  Investment and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs) that had been abandoned under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP).

This also meant creating new opportunities for local, indigenous businesses that are linked to the ruling Zanu Pf party as a means of creating a nascent business motivated/ comprador bourgeoisie that would benefit from an open ended ‘free market’ economic environment.  As long as they can and could acquire mining permits, link up with palatable foreign investors from the global West or the East or even the global center (Middle East). 

With the firm understanding that so long you do not cross the current government’s hairs you are guaranteed safety and security of business tenure. Whether you are a local investor or an internationally based one.

The problem that is increasingly evident is that this ‘optimum’ environment for investment that I have referred to earlier requires politics.   And in particular  the politics of Zanu Pf as the ruling party.   As accompanied by ingratiation to its key power holders as well as brokers. 

Within an ambit of playing emergent succession factions against the other in Zanu Pf. Wherein proximity to power is most evidently a methodology of accessing wealth. Or at least protection of acquired wealth. Or even in some cases being able to transfer wealth to other international financial and economic hubs. Out of national sight and mind.  

I will explain this further.  

The factionalism within Zanu Pf, be it via the war veterans as led by Blessed Geza and his accusations of ‘zvigananda’.  

Or those that are serving in central government that are touting a term extension of Mnangagwa’s current term of office by two years from 2028 to 2030. 

And also those that are evidently part of supporting deputy president Chiwenga in seeking his eventual ascension to the presidential throne in Zanu Pf by the time they hold their 2027 elective congress.  

The central issue in all of these factional tendencies within Zanu Pf is the political economy and how to control it.  Together with private local and international capital.   So what we essentially have in Zimbabwe is a factionalised political and economic mafia.  

Where the state is split in two symbiotic ways.  Namely, the politicians accede to the demands of international financialised and local materialized private capital.  On the opposite side, where international financialised capital feeds the politicians their needs in order to retain their power via trickledown economics and personal aggrandizement.  Inclusive of assuming a political benevolence that we are witnessing today with either the donations of luxury vehicles, money and other forms of fixed property to celebrities and politicians.  

What I am certain we are seeing is the mustard seed of in Zimbabwe is a ‘symbiotic mafia state’   One in which politics meets business and agrees to work together. Be it in relation to factions (choosing sides) but more importantly profitability.  

Zanu PF’s succession battles as they are currently playing out reflect this.  There are those in charge of the politics. Then there are those in charge of the money.  They key question, if you are a Zanu Pf member/support, is on which side are you on. Not just for the elections but within the matrix that is the new mafia symbiosis of our national political economy.

Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com) 

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