ON the face of it, presidential investment adviser Paul Tungwarara appears to be skating on thin ice.
His remarks targeting business mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei have made him sound isolated, almost like a black sheep among Zanu PF’s top faithful.
As a relatively new entrant into the ruling party’s political theatre, Tungwarara already seems to be stepping on the toes of powerful figures, prompting whispers that he may have made a costly political miscalculation.
But knowing Zanu PF, nothing is ever as spontaneous as it appears.
The comments Tungwarara made at a rally in Manicaland province did not come out of the blue.
In a party renowned for its discipline, hierarchy and obsession with control, it is naïve to assume that such remarks would be made casually or without consequence.
More plausibly, Tungwarara may have been deployed — knowingly or unknowingly — to test the waters, gauge public mood or smoke out hidden tensions within the ruling establishment.
History offers ample evidence that Zanu PF often operates through rehearsed scripts.
- Another star plots DeMbare exit
- Biti’s applications for referral to Concourt continues
- Biti plays political card in assault case
- Let’s concentrate on what is on the docket: Reza told Biti
Keep Reading
During the era of the late former President Robert Mugabe, insiders have testified that political strategies were carefully choreographed at State House long before they played out in public.
Apparent spontaneity was often a performance, designed to achieve a specific end.
Former party activist Jim Kunaka once openly admitted that some senior figures in Zanu PF wanted him to do their dirty work.
He eventually refused, citing family responsibilities and personal growth.
His testimony revealed a party culture that routinely uses proxies and expendable voices to advance agendas while shielding the real power brokers.
The events of 2020 further underline this pattern.
Then Zanu PF youth leaders Lewis Matutu and Godfrey Tsenengamu publicly accused influential businessmen — including Tagwirei of Sakunda Holdings, Green Fuel director Billy Rautenbach and Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara — of bleeding the economy and contributing to price instability.
The accusations resonated with public frustration and briefly created the impression of a party willing to confront powerful economic interests.
But the illusion did not last.
Matutu and Tsenengamu were swiftly suspended from party activities, later sanctioned, and eventually subjected to “re-education” at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology.
The message was clear: radicalism and unsanctioned truth-telling would not be tolerated.
Many believe that once they had served their purpose, their political usefulness had expired.
Zimbabweans have seen this movie before.
Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s dramatic fall from grace was preceded by months of rehearsed attacks, allegations and calculated isolation.
By the time the axe finally fell, the groundwork had long been laid.
What appeared to be organic outrage was, in fact, carefully stage-managed.
This is why Tungwarara’s situation should be viewed through a sceptical lens.
Whether he realises it or not, he may be part of a broader internal manoeuvre.
Zanu PF has never shied away from using lackeys to flush out individuals perceived to be overly ambitious, politically inconvenient or out of step with shifting power dynamics.
The party’s internal politics thrive on ambiguity and calculated confusion.
Even the late nationalist and legal luminary Edson Zvobgo once warned that Zanu PF was so complex and deceptive that no one could ever claim to have fully mastered its tricks.
That observation remains as relevant today as it was decades ago.
In Zanu PF, dissent is rarely accidental, loyalty is often conditional, and survival depends on understanding not just what is said, but why it is being said — and by whom.
Tungwarara may appear to be speaking out, but whether he is a rebel, a pawn or a messenger is a question only time will answer.
What is certain is that Zanu PF has not changed its colours.
It is still playing the same old game, only with new faces reading from an old, well-worn script.
