HOSPITALS FOR THE HUNGRY, NOT THE SICK

Something is very wrong in Zimbabwe. Our hospitals are falling apart. People are dying from small diseases. There are no medicines. There are no painkillers. Nurses and doctors are trying their best, but they have no support. The health system is broken. But instead of fixing it, Mnangagwa and his friends are using it to get rich. They are making big money from the same hospitals where poor people are dying.

Right now, there is almost US$1 billion in health contracts. That is a lot of money. But all that money is going to people close to Mnangagwa. These are not real business people. These are his friends. They did not win these tenders in a fair way. There was no public bidding. They just got the deals. Quietly. Secretly.

It all started when Tinoda Machakaire, the Youth Minister, made a Facebook post. He said he visited a hospital and was very sad. He asked the President to also visit. Many people said, “Thank you, Minister.” They thought he was being honest. But it was just a setup. A trick.

Soon after the post, Mnangagwa started visiting hospitals. He went to Parirenyatwa, Sally Mugabe and NatPharm. People thought he cared. But behind the scenes, the real plan was already there. They were planning billion-dollar deals. Not for the sick. Not for the people. But for their pockets.

One of the biggest deals was given to Wicknell Chivayo. He got a US$437 million contract to supply cancer equipment. His company, TTM Global, is new. It was only started recently. It was registered in South Africa and is linked to his luxury flat in Sandton, Johannesburg. This deal was not advertised. No one else got a chance. That is not fair. That is corruption.

Another deal came from Belarus. Mnangagwa met with President Lukashenko. They agreed to a US$300 million health deal. It includes hospital upgrades and medicine. But again, people close to Mnangagwa are involved. One of them is Kudakwashe Tagwirei. He did not even go to Belarus. But he is now said to be the President’s adviser on the deal. Just after Machakaire made his post, there was a meeting in Harare with Mnangagwa’s inner team. They talked about how to raise money for these deals.

Then there is Tempter Tungwarara. He is another close friend of Mnangagwa. His company, Prevail International, was given a contract to fix hospitals. No one else was allowed to compete. His company has no record of doing real work outside of government projects. But he lives a soft life. He has been accused of fraud, unpaid loans and fake property deals. Still, he got a diplomatic passport and more government work. His company is also building boreholes, housing for war veterans, and the new State House wall. That wall alone cost US$15 million. No tenders. Just handshakes.

While these men are enjoying government money, our hospitals are falling apart. Patients are lying on the floor. They have no medicine. Some die before getting treatment. Mnangagwa is using the pain of the poor to help his friends get rich. This is not leadership. This is stealing.

They are not fixing hospitals. They are looting them. They are not saving lives. They are taking money. These health deals are not open. They are not fair. And they are not helping the people. They are only helping the powerful.

This must stop. We must speak up. The hospitals belong to the people. Not to Mnangagwa’s rich friends. Let us not be quiet. Let us expose them. Because if we stay silent, more people will die. And the thieves will keep getting richer.