Presidential advisor Dr Paul Tungwara has announced a US$200,000 payment to anti-sanctions campaigner Rutendo Benson Matinyarare following his public apology to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the First Family, an extraordinary move that critics say blurs the line between state obligation and political loyalty.
In a post on X on Saturday, Dr. Paul Tungwarara confirmed Matinyarare had “courageously admitted your mistakes and publicly apologized” to the President, First Lady Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, and the First Family.
“I am announcing a roadmap to settle your claimed debt. I will give you an initial USD $200,000 towards the invoices you claim for services provided to this country,” Tungwarara wrote.
The announcement follows a dramatic shift by Matinyarare, 49, who had been one of the most vocal critics of the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) until he received a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series from Tungwarara last week.
Tungwarara accompanied the financial pledge with a sharp warning. “Cde, please ensure that you do not involve the President and the First Family in personal issues. Never publicly attack the President, the First Lady, or their children; if you love the father and the mother, you should love their children too,” the advisor wrote.
He urged Matinyarare to return to supporting the President’s Vision 2030 economic plan “just as before.”
Matinyarare, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Movement (ZASM), has built a public persona as a Pan-Africanist and sanctions strategist. His admirers praise him as a “courageous and patriotic Zimbabwean,” but detractors describe him as an “over-enthusiastic character” who courts controversy.
The activist had claimed he participated in anti-sanctions campaigns, efforts to stop deportation of Zimbabwean workers from South Africa, diplomatic initiatives with Rwanda, and programmes to promote Zimbabwe’s international image, all without proper compensation. “Now all we are asking for is reciprocity and the correction of an injustice,” Matinyarare had written before receiving the vehicle.
Following the Land Cruiser gift, Matinyarare declared his willingness to apologise publicly. “If, indeed, the President or Amai feel that any of my critique bordered on disrespect, I, as a child of Zimbabwe who has served the country loyally, would be willing to apologise publicly,” he said.
The public reconciliation has triggered intense debate on social media, with critics questioning whether Matinyarare’s campaign against CAB3 was driven by principle or by a dispute over payment. Several users openly suggested that his criticism of government figures was linked to unresolved financial grievances rather than constitutional concerns. Others questioned whether his position on CAB3 would change now that the remuneration dispute appears to be moving toward settlement.
Matinyarare is no stranger to legal troubles. In July 2024, he was convicted of contempt of court by the Gauteng High Court in South Africa after defying orders to stop posting defamatory content about Innscor Africa Limited, receiving a three-month suspended sentence. In 2016, he faced accusations of tribalism after a viral video in which he suggested Shona men take Ndebele women as partners. He later called it “satire gone wrong.”
His supporters, however, point to his role in the anti-sanctions movement, claiming his 2023 advocacy contributed to a U.S. Congress Subcommittee review of sanctions’ effects on Zimbabwean civilians. The U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe were removed under Executive Order in March 2024.
Matinyarare, meanwhile, has framed the reconciliation as part of a broader national unity effort, likening Tungwarara’s approach to past initiatives including the 1987 Unity Accord and the 2009 Government of National Unity. “What the Presidential Advisor is doing aligns with the spirit of Zimbabwe, and I applaud it,” Matinyarare said.
