Harare – Zimbabwean former Finance Minister during the inclusive government, Tendai Biti, has launched a scathing attack on businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s appointment as Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion, describing it as a new low for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

In a strongly worded post on the microblogging site X, Biti accused the government of blurring the lines between political power and private business interests, calling the appointment “the personification of State Capture” and “the Gupturisation of the Republic”.

Tagwirei was appointed to the newly separated ministry on Thursday, while Professor Mthuli Ncube was reassigned to the Finance portfolio. The appointments took immediate effect.

Biti, who previously chaired Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, questioned Tagwirei’s suitability for public office, citing his alleged involvement in major government-funded programmes and transactions.

He branded the businessman the “Archbishop of Corruption” and called for forensic audits of Treasury Bills, Command Agriculture, the Dema diesel plant, fuel contracts, Kuvimba Mining, the Mutapa Investment Fund and infrastructure projects.

Biti claimed that investigations by the Public Accounts Committee into companies linked to Tagwirei between 2015 and 2018 found that they had received more than US$1 billion, largely through Treasury Bills, without the committee establishing that corresponding maize or fertiliser had been delivered.

“These questions have never been answered,” Biti said.

He also questioned a reported US$360 million Treasury Bill issued to Tagwirei in January 2019, alleging that it escaped the currency conversion measures introduced that year. Biti further raised concerns over a reported US$1.9 billion Treasury Bill linked to the acquisition of a 35 per cent stake in Kuvimba Mining, arguing that the payment lacked adequate valuation and justification.

Biti also took aim at Tagwirei’s business interests in the energy sector, alleging that the businessman had benefited from fuel-related arrangements and the Dema diesel plant contract at the public’s expense.

He claimed that electricity supplied by Dema was priced at 34 US cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 12 US cents for imports from South Africa’s Eskom, and alleged that duty-free diesel intended for the plant had been diverted onto the market.

Biti called for forensic audits of the transactions and business interests he identified, arguing that the appointment raised serious questions about potential conflicts of government interest.

He also challenged the constitutional basis of the appointment, linking his objections to the ongoing dispute over Constitutional Amendment No. 3 and arguing that the courts must determine the legality of the contested constitutional process.

In a dramatic conclusion, Biti invoked a village parable about a notorious cattle thief who was appointed to guard the community’s livestock.

“The cattle thief has been appointed to herd the cattle. We must not stay silent,” he said.

He ended his statement with the words, “Cry, the beloved country. Cry.”