Mnangagwa’s “Daughter-in-Law” Pokello “Queen of Swagger” Staggers Suffering Zimbabweans with Alleged $700K Dubai Ring and Other Excesses
HARARE – Pokello Nare, the Zimbabwean socialite and entrepreneur known as the “Queen of Swagger,” has drawn repeated public scrutiny over a series of high-profile luxury trips and purchases in recent years, many of them documented through her own social media posts and reported by local and regional media.
Nare, a former Big Brother Africa contestant and founder of the Pink Bottoms shoe brand, is widely reported to be in a relationship with Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr., son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Her displays of wealth have frequently been contrasted with Zimbabwe’s economic challenges, including high inflation and widespread hardship.
The most extensively reported episode occurred in late August 2025, when Nare marked her 40th birthday at Lake Como with more than a dozen friends.
Instagram posts showed the group traveling in Emirates first class, with Nare’s ticket estimated at more than US$8,000.
She appeared in Louis Vuitton Mahina pyjamas priced at approximately US$2,200 and Olympia sneakers at about US$1,250, alongside a Louis Vuitton trunk valued at over US$9,000.
The itinerary included shopping in Portofino, where she was photographed examining a Mini Lady Dior bag retailing around US$4,700 and gifting designer fragrances to her entourage.
She posted the caption “Woke up feeling like Oprah” after the gifts.
Hotel suites on Lake Como were reported to cost upwards of US$1,200 per night.
Additional posts showed her in floor-length gowns and pouring champagne from her own Pokello-branded rosé into a tower of glasses.
South African outlet News24 estimated the flights alone at more than R150,000 and the travel outfit plus trunk at significant additional sums.
Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX covered the Portofino portion, describing the group’s “Dolce Vita” activities including luxury shopping, cocktails, motorboat rides, and visits to exclusive beach clubs such as Carillon Beach in Paraggi.
The trip generated widespread criticism in Zimbabwe and coverage in regional media.
In December 2019, reports circulated that Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr. had purchased a brand-new 2020 Range Rover for Nare in South Africa.
On Wednesday, a video circulated widely on social media platforms showing a woman matching Nare’s appearance in a high-end jewelry store, examining large diamond rings while wearing a Rolex.
Captions claimed she was purchasing a ring valued at approximately US$700,000 in Dubai.
The video has not been independently verified as depicting a completed purchase of that value, and no mainstream confirmation of the transaction has emerged.
The footage has fueled further online discussion linking it to her prior luxury displays.
In 2022, Nare attended a Rick Ross concert in an outfit from Casablanca Paris consisting of a quilted mini skirt (approximately US$722) and cropped jacket (approximately US$1,073), totaling about US$1,795 according to contemporary reports.
She has also publicly associated with luxury brands and previously served as a brand ambassador for a high-end car dealership in Zimbabwe.
Nare has not issued detailed public responses addressing the funding of these activities in the reports examined.
Her social media presence continues to feature high-end fashion, travel, and lifestyle content under the “Queen of Swagger” branding.
Coverage of her expenditures has consistently noted the contrast with economic conditions faced by many Zimbabweans some who are professionals but get paid less than $300 per month.