By Staff Reporter
Harare, Zimbabwe – As internal battles over succession quietly escalate within ZANU-PF, businessman and presidential advisor Kudakwashe Tagwirei appears to be engaging in a campaign to rehabilitate his public image and position himself more strategically in Zimbabwe’s evolving political landscape.
Over the weekend, Tagwirei received what he described as an Honorary Doctorate in Business and Strategic Management from an obscure Nigerial Christain Babcock University, a little-known Christian private college in Nigeria. The award has drawn scepticism, with critics questioning both the timing and the credibility of such recognitions. Many see this as part of a growing pattern, as Tagwirei seeks to cloak himself in academic and moral legitimacy while facing increasing scrutiny over his wealth, influence, and role in state affairs.
In 2022, Tagwirei was the centre of attention at Solusi University’s 26th graduation ceremony, where he appeared as guest of honour and representative of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. At that event, he announced a series of generous donations to the institution, including vehicles and agricultural equipment. The gifts, although formally said to have been from the President, were widely interpreted as part of Tagwirei’s own political branding and an effort to win favour among the influential Seventh-day Adventist community, which owns and runs the university.
Political observers argue that these honorary degrees and public philanthropic gestures are not merely ceremonial. Instead, they are seen as calculated moves in a broader campaign to launder his image and present himself as a serious and respectable national figure, particularly as the ZANU-PF succession issue begins to take centre stage.
Tagwirei has long been a controversial figure, whose business empire—rooted in the fuel and mining sectors—has been closely tied to state contracts and patronage networks. His proximity to power and alleged role in Zimbabwe’s opaque economic dealings have earned him both domestic criticism and international sanctions.
Now, as whispers grow louder about his political ambitions or potential as a kingmaker in the post-Mnangagwa era, his recent efforts to acquire honorary academic titles and align himself with religious institutions appear to be part of a deliberate soft-power strategy. By associating himself with churches, universities, and socially respected platforms, Tagwirei may be trying to rebrand from oligarch to statesman.
Whether this strategy will succeed in reshaping public perception remains to be seen. But for many Zimbabweans, the spectacle of power, piety, and philanthropy blending into politics only reinforces long-standing concerns about the nature of leadership and legitimacy in the country.
