Biti: Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Who is on a Rapid Political Rise, is The ‘Most Dangerous Man’
HARARE — Tendai Biti, a former finance minister and opposition figure, on Saturday described businessman and newly appointed cabinet minister Kudakwashe Tagwirei as “the most dangerous man in Zimbabwe,” accusing him of amassing billions through the alleged pillaging of public assets and of seeking the country’s highest political office.
In a lengthy post on X, Biti claimed Tagwirei’s “hubris, arrogance and ego” led him to believe he could “commodify political power” in the same way he had secured business deals.
Biti referenced Tagwirei’s past associations with commodity trader Trafigura and the Beira pipeline, alleged dealings involving the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and First Mutual Life shares, and a reported US$1.9 billion Treasury Bill linked to a 35% equity stake in Kuvimba Mining.
“He will learn soon that buying off ZANU PF is not the same as getting into bed with Trafigura,” Biti wrote.
He warned those who facilitated Tagwirei’s elevation into the ZANU-PF Central Committee, Senate, Cabinet and Politburo that Zimbabwe “is not a private limited company” and that they had “no right to play poker with Zimbabwe institutions and public offices.”
Biti advised Tagwirei to “go back home and play with your children,” adding that the path he had chosen had “one guaranteed unhappy ending.”
The comments come days after Tagwirei’s swift ascent in both government and the ruling party.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed the US- and UK-sanctioned tycoon as Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion on 8 October 2026, splitting the portfolio from the Finance Ministry retained by Mthuli Ncube.
Tagwirei was sworn in on 12 October. On 15 October, ZANU-PF announced his appointment as the party’s Secretary for Economic Affairs and Investment Promotion in the Politburo, its top decision-making body.
Tagwirei, founder of Sakunda Holdings, built his fortune in fuel trading, later expanding into mining, agriculture and other sectors.
He entered formal party structures in late 2025 when co-opted into the Central Committee and was appointed to the Senate in August 2026 under powers created by Constitutional Amendment No. 3.
The United States sanctioned him and Sakunda in 2020 (with a further designation in 2024) over allegations of assisting corruption; the United Kingdom imposed sanctions in 2021.
Biti, who served as finance minister from 2009 to 2013 during the inclusive government, has previously criticised Tagwirei’s appointment as minister, calling it an example of “state capture” and the “Gupturisation of the Republic.”
In an earlier post, he alleged Tagwirei’s companies received more than US$1 billion in Treasury Bills linked to the Command Agriculture programme with little evidence of corresponding deliveries, and raised questions over other Treasury Bill transactions.
Tagwirei has denied presidential ambitions in past statements and has been a vocal backer of Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 agenda.
No immediate response to Biti’s latest comments was available from Tagwirei or ZANU-PF spokespeople.
Tagwirei’s rapid rise has intensified debate over succession politics within the ruling party, particularly in relation to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.