Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s recent remarks, in which he declared that “if you are not a tenderpreneur, you are foolish,” are not only deeply insensitive, but also disingenuous.
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n his attempt to reframe public outrage over corruption and looting as mere jealousy or ignorance, Tagwirei hides behind a finger — feigning innocence in a national crisis he has significantly contributed to.
His argument, that those who criticize “tenderpreneurs” are against government tenders, is a textbook case of gaslighting the Zimbabwean public.
Let’s set the record straight.
No rational or honest Zimbabwean is against the idea of businesses securing government contracts.
Public procurement is, in fact, the cornerstone of infrastructure development across the world.
It is through public tenders that roads are constructed, hospitals equipped, power plants built, and services delivered.
The procurement of goods and services by governments is not only legitimate, but necessary.
So, no Mr. Tagwirei, we are not “foolish” for expecting government to award tenders — what we demand is that these tenders be awarded transparently, lawfully, and fairly, without favoritism, corruption, or manipulation.
What Zimbabweans are vocally and justifiably opposed to is a system where national resources are plundered by a small group of politically connected elites — many of whom, like yourself, are repeatedly fingered in opaque and often illegal deals, which fly in the face of Zimbabwean law.
You conveniently ignore this context when you speak.
We are not attacking public tenders; we are attacking looting under the guise of public procurement.
Under Zimbabwean law, particularly the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23], any procurement of goods or services by public institutions must follow a clear, competitive, and transparent process.
This law exists to ensure value for money and to prevent corruption.
Yet what we have witnessed over the years is a flagrant violation of this legal framework — a practice that has become routine in how large government contracts are dished out to briefcase companies or individuals with the right political connections.
Let’s take the example of the R1.1 billion tender purportedly awarded to South African firm Ren-Form CC by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for the supply of 2023 election materials.
Where was the public bidding process?
Which companies competed for that tender?
What criteria were used to select the winner?
And perhaps most disturbingly, why was R800 million of that money allegedly funneled into bank accounts linked to businessman Wicknell Chivayo?
These are the questions that continue to haunt ordinary Zimbabweans who foot the bill for such grotesque misuse of national funds.
We can’t ignore how Chivayo — who has no known track record in medical or energy infrastructure — was allegedly awarded a US$437 million tender through a company reportedly registered just months ago (TTM Global), to supply cancer treatment machines to public hospitals.
This contract, like the others before it, was allegedly awarded without any competitive bidding.
Are Zimbabweans supposed to cheer such blatant disregard for law and due process?
Even more alarming is the historical case of the US$170 million ZESA contract for the Gwanda solar power project, awarded to Chivayo years ago.
He was paid US$5 million in advance, yet to this day, not a single megawatt of electricity has been produced from that project.
Still, he walks free, while Zimbabweans endure 16-hour daily power cuts.
And since Mr. Tagwirei brought up tenderpreneurship with pride, it would be remiss not to remind him of his own involvement in the scandalous Dema Power Plant project — a multi-million-dollar project awarded without open tender.
Or his control over Kuvimba Mining House — a firm the Zimbabwean government initially claimed to own — only for independent investigations, including by The Sentry, to reveal that Tagwirei had used a network of offshore companies to conceal his beneficial ownership and involvement in acquiring its assets.
This includes acquiring a significant share in Great Dyke Investments, a platinum mine, through shadowy arrangements.
More recently, serious concerns have emerged over Tagwirei’s acquisition of strategic stakes in major financial institutions, including ZB Financial Holdings — whose significant shareholding was previously held by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) — and CBZ Holdings.
These transactions, involving entities widely reported to be linked to Tagwirei, raise troubling questions about the consolidation of economic power in the hands of a single politically connected individual, and whether Zimbabwe’s banking and investment laws were properly observed.
This is the context in which the Zimbabwean public reacts with justified anger and suspicion.
The problem has never been tendering.
It has always been how public tenders in Zimbabwe are awarded behind closed doors, to friends and cronies, at inflated prices, often without any delivery of actual goods or services.
This is what breeds public outrage — not envy, not ignorance, but informed indignation.
And we have every right to be angry.
We are the ones who suffer when government money is looted in broad daylight.
We are the ones who bury our loved ones in hospitals that lack even the most basic essentials — from medication and scanners to something as simple as paracetamol.
We are the ones whose children attend schools with no roofs, no textbooks, and no toilets.
We are the ones who go for months without clean water in our homes, or days without electricity — even while the elite flaunt luxury lifestyles built on our misery.
Every dollar stolen through shady tenders is a dollar taken away from healthcare, education, clean water, housing, and employment.
So no, Mr. Tagwirei, it is not “foolish” to criticize tenderpreneurship as it exists in Zimbabwe.
What’s foolish — or rather, deeply unethical — is to defend the looting of national resources by falsely equating corrupt tender deals with legitimate business.
Elon Musk’s contracts with the US government are awarded under strict, public, and competitive procurement laws.
They are subject to public scrutiny, legal review, and audit.
In Zimbabwe, the opposite is true.
Comparing the two is not only dishonest — it insults the intelligence of every Zimbabwean.
What we are demanding is simple: let the law be followed.
Let all tenders be open and transparent.
Let there be fair competition.
Let the Auditor-General’s reports be taken seriously.
Let those who break the law be held accountable, no matter how powerful or well-connected they are.
That is not foolishness. That is patriotism.
And calling people who reject corrupt dealings “fools” is not just arrogant — it is the height of contempt for a suffering population.
But then again, arrogance is the hallmark of many of these self-styled tenderpreneurs, who believe they are untouchable because they are protected by the ruling elite.
They mistake fear for respect and silence for approval.
But we will not be silent.
We will not normalize corruption.
We will not pretend that looting is economic empowerment.
Because at the end of the day, this is not just about tenders.
It’s about justice, accountability, and the future of our country.
And if standing up for that makes us “foolish” in your eyes, Mr. Tagwirei — then we are proud to be fools.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/