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The Rise of Kudakwashe Tagwirei: Business, Power, and the Contested Succession in Zimbabwe’s Post-Mnangagwa Era.

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  By Youngerson Matete Introduction Zimbabwe's political landscape has been defined by the protracted struggle for succession for decades. First during the former President Robert Mugabe’s era. The conversation of succession on his successor-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has now intensified. The constitution of Zimbabwe on section 91(2) clearly states that a person can only hold office for 2 terms and each term lasting between 3 to 5 years as defined by Section 143 of the Constitution.  Zimbabwe's political terrain is entering another phase of elite contestation, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa's second and final constitutional term edges closer to its expiration in 2028.  The question of who succeeds Emmerson Mnangagwa as Zimbabwe’s leader is the nation’s most gripping political conundrum within and outside the ruling party ZANU-PF. Amidst factional warfare within the ruling party, and succession chessboard, businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei has emerged as a pivotal, albei...
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From Harare to Pretoria: How ZANU-PF’s Dirty Money Is Influencing African Diplomacy.

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  By Youngerson Matete Introduction. In the high-stakes realm of international relations, traditional diplomacy that was once anchored in shared values, ideology, and international law has increasingly been augmented, and at times overshadowed, by wallet diplomacy . This emerging paradigm hinges on the use of financial leverage, strategic investments, control over natural resources, and well-funded lobbying to influence the behavior of other states. From direct monetary inducements to campaign financing and opaque infrastructure deals, economic tools are now deployed not only to pursue national interests but to redraw diplomatic allegiances and reorder global influence. From Israel’s institutionalized lobbying efforts in the West to ZANU-PF’s resource-backed statecraft across Africa, money has become a primary currency in determining who is heard, supported, or sanctioned. Wallet diplomacy shapes UN votes, legitimizes authoritarian regimes, and marginalizes dissenting actors even t...
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