President Mnangagwa Meets Business Leaders as Zanu PF Eyes Structured Funding Model

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday held a closed-door meeting with prominent business figures, during which participants reportedly agreed in principle to provide monthly financial support to the ruling Zanu PF party, sources familiar with the discussions have said.

The high-level engagement brought together about 19 businessmen, including Sakunda Holdings owner Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei and Geo Pomona Waste Management Pvt Ltd CEO and executive chairman Dr Dilesh Nguwaya. Senior Zanu PF officials, among them Secretary-General Jacob Mudenda and Treasurer-General Patrick Chinamasa, were also in attendance. Some of the business leaders reportedly travelled from outside Harare, including from Bulawayo and other provinces, underscoring the national character of the meeting.

According to party insiders, discussions centred on establishing a more structured and predictable funding relationship between Zanu PF and sections of the business community. Rather than relying on intermittent or ad hoc donations, the meeting explored the idea of sustained, monthly financial contributions to support party activities.

Sources described the talks as marking a shift in how the ruling party engages with business, signalling an intention to formalise funding channels as Zanu PF seeks to strengthen and professionalise its operations. While no official statement was released after the meeting, those briefed on the deliberations said there was broad agreement in principle on the need for a stable financial framework.

The engagement is seen as part of Zanu PF’s broader mobilisation strategy, as the party consolidates its organisational structures and prepares for future political programmes. Observers say the move reflects growing interaction between political leadership and influential business actors, with implications for both party financing and the wider political economy.