ZANU PF youths are demanding that vocal ruling party critic Rutendo Matinyarare surrenders a luxury vehicle and cash he recently received from President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Special Investments Adviser, Paul Tungwarara.
Last week, Tungwarara reportedly handed Matinyarare a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 Series and US$200 000, sparking controversy both within and outside the ruling party.
The youth league members were angered by the move.
They want Matinyarare to hand over the vehicle to the nearest police station and return the money, arguing that Tungwarara is using the party’s name to distribute large sums of money and expensive vehicles to individuals who have no meaningful record of service to the party while ordinary youths continue to struggle in poverty.
For once, they appear to have recognised an uncomfortable truth.
The millions of dollars and luxury vehicles that we have seen being doled out over the years could have been channelled towards addressing the challenges facing thousands of unemployed and impoverished young people across the country.
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But where have been those who are raising concern now been all along?
The sudden outrage reeks of hypocrisy.
Many of the voices condemning Tungwarara have remained conspicuously silent as politically-connected businessmen have for years splashed vast amounts of money and top-of-the-range vehicles on politicians, celebrities, church leaders and other public figures.
Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo has become synonymous with high-profile donations of luxury vehicles and cash.
Time and again, expensive cars have been handed out amid pomp and fanfare, often accompanied by glowing praise from beneficiaries and ruling party officials.
Yet there has been little, if any, public criticism from the same Zanu PF figures now demanding accountability from Tungwarara.
The silence has been deafening.
Similarly, fuel and mining magnate Kudakwashe Tagwirei has made significant donations to ruling party structures, including vehicles for members of the Zanu PF central committee and politburo.
Again, there was no chorus of condemnation.
No demands for investigation.
No calls for beneficiaries to surrender the gifts.
Instead, many chose to look the other way.
This inconsistency raises an obvious question: Why is outrage reserved for some donors and not others?
If the concern is genuinely about transparency, accountability and the welfare of ordinary party members, then the same standards should apply across the board.
It cannot be acceptable when one politically-connected benefactor hands out luxury vehicles and unacceptable when another does the same.
The selective application of principles undermines the credibility of those raising objections.
Zimbabweans have grown accustomed to a political culture where rules are enforced depending on who is involved rather than what has been done.
Friends are protected while rivals are scrutinised.
Allies are celebrated while critics are condemned.
Such double standards breed cynicism and reinforce perceptions that accountability is often weaponised for political convenience.
If Zanu PF youths truly believe that resources should be directed towards uplifting struggling young people rather than funding extravagant gifts, then that position should be applied consistently.
Anything less suggests that this is not about principle at all.
It is merely another example of selective outrage masquerading as moral concern.