Tungwarara Offers Matinyarare Land Cruiser To End Mnangagwa Criticism

Presidential Investment Adviser Paul Tungwarara has publicly offered government critic Rutendo Matinyarare a luxury Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series in exchange for toning down his social media criticism of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

In a series of posts on social media, Tungwarara said the move was part of a broader effort to protect the President’s image ahead of the push to extend his tenure under the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).

“An objective analysis of the current political landscape reveals that public criticism directed toward His Excellency, President ED Mnangagwa, is rarely rooted in genuine animosity,” Tungwarara wrote.

“There is a broad, undeniable consensus regarding the success of the Second Republic, and public sentiment strongly aligns with the continuation of this vision beyond 2030 under the CAB3 banner.”

He argued the real threat to the presidency came not from policy failures but from unresolved business disputes involving people close to the President.

“The primary vulnerability lies not within the presidency, but within our own conduct as individuals close to the praesidium. When our private business transactions… lack meticulous execution… they invariably spill into the public domain,” he said.

“These individual, unresolved commercial grievances are frequently weaponised by detractors, creating unnecessary political noise that unfairly tarnishes the President’s image and inadvertently deters foreign direct investment.”

Tungwarara said allies of the President had a “profound, non-negotiable responsibility to protect his brand” and must be willing to show “strategic humility and swallow our pride.”

Responding, Matinyarare, a Zimbabwean activist based in South Africa who has become one of Mnangagwa’s most persistent online critics, thanked Tungwarara but defended his decision to take grievances to social media.

“Dr, thank you for the response, and yes, I hear that you don’t like the way I have chosen social media as a medium of dispute resolution,” he wrote.

He said he had carried out work for the presidency at great personal cost.

“When the princes, advisors and envoys of the President needed me to do work for the nation, they knew where to find me, and when they gave me instructions, I executed every single mandate efficiently,” Matinyarare said.

“In executing my mandate, I put my life and business interests at risk, ending up as one of the most hated Zimbabweans in South Africa. My business was isolated by global corporations I worked with because I stood firm for the hated ‘Zimbabwe’.”

He claimed foreign lobbyists who “failed to do what I did” were paid, while he was ignored.

“However, when it came time for me to get my agreed remuneration… all the princes, advisors and envoys ran into ivory towers, and I was left standing alone like an abandoned slave. So when a slave is left standing alone at the bottom of the ivory tower, all they can do is shout and throw stones from the bottom of the castle, beginning for a meal.”

Matinyarare said he was now willing to meet.

“Anyway, I acknowledge and accept that let us have a round table and resolve what is clearly an issue that can be resolved amicably if hearts and minds are focused on reconciliation, nation building, and unity.”

Tungwarara acknowledged Matinyarare’s response, saying he hoped he would de-escalate the attacks on Mnangagwa and CAB3.

“Because you have shown the right attitude, I hope you are going to de-escalate the attacks on the President and everyone else… As a first condition for our upcoming roundtable meeting, I want you to come and collect your Toyota 300 series. Let me know when you are in Harare so we can arrange for you to pick up your car,” wrote Tungwarara.

In a follow-up post addressed to “@matinyarare”, he added: “Dear @matinyarare, your car is ready to be collected. Congratulations! Let us find an amicable way of resolving our differences.”

In another post, Tungwarara defended the use of pay-offs to quiet critics.

“We cannot tolerate a system wherein we passively observe individuals disparaging the President under the pretext of claiming outstanding dues. If we must go out of our way to settle these grievances for the greater good of our leader… then so be it,” he wrote.

“It is far better that public scrutiny be redirected toward me than to permit the entire nation to be distracted by baseless assaults on the President, particularly when these matters can be swiftly resolved by addressing the minor financial claims in question.”