Presidential advisor Paul Tungwarara has announced a US$200,000 payment to anti-sanctions campaigner Rutendo Benson Matinyarare after the activist publicly apologised to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, and the First Family.
In a post on X on Saturday, Tungwarara said Matinyarare had acknowledged his mistakes and sought reconciliation with the country’s leadership.
“You have courageously admitted your mistakes and publicly apologized to His Excellency President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Amai Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, and the First Family,” Tungwarara wrote.
He then outlined a plan to address what Matinyarare has described as unpaid dues for work he claims to have carried out on behalf of Zimbabwe.
“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 pledge comes days after Tungwarara handed Matinyarare a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series, a development that coincided with the activist’s dramatic shift in tone toward the government. Until recently, Matinyarare had been one of the most outspoken critics of the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).
While announcing the financial assistance, Tungwarara also cautioned Matinyarare against involving the President and his family in personal disputes.
“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,” he said.
Tungwarara further encouraged Matinyarare to resume supporting the government’s Vision 2030 agenda.
“Return to supporting the President’s Vision 2030 economic plan just as before,” he added.
Matinyarare, who chairs the Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Movement, has long presented himself as a Pan-Africanist campaigner and anti-sanctions advocate. Supporters view him as a committed patriot, while critics argue that he often attracts controversy through his outspoken positions.
Before receiving the vehicle and financial pledge, Matinyarare had publicly argued that he was owed compensation for work he said included anti-sanctions advocacy, efforts to prevent the deportation of Zimbabwean workers from South Africa, diplomatic engagements involving Rwanda, and initiatives aimed at improving Zimbabwe’s international image.
“Now all we are asking for is reciprocity and the correction of an injustice,” Matinyarare wrote at the time.
Following the Land Cruiser donation, he signalled a willingness to mend relations with the President and First Family.
“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 reconciliation has sparked widespread debate on social media, with some critics questioning whether Matinyarare’s opposition to CAB3 was rooted in principle or influenced by unresolved financial grievances. Others have speculated about whether his stance on the constitutional amendment will change now that efforts are underway to settle the remuneration dispute.
Matinyarare has also faced controversy in the past. In 2024, he was convicted of contempt of court by the Gauteng High Court after failing to comply with orders relating to defamatory content about Innscor Africa Limited. He received a three-month suspended sentence. Earlier, in 2016, he drew criticism over remarks made in a viral video that some viewed as tribalistic, comments he later described as “satire gone wrong.”
Despite the criticism, supporters credit Matinyarare’s anti-sanctions advocacy with helping draw international attention to the impact of sanctions on ordinary Zimbabweans, including discussions in the United States that preceded the lifting of sanctions under an executive order in 2024.
For his part, Matinyarare has portrayed the latest developments as a step toward national cohesion and reconciliation.
“What the Presidential Advisor is doing aligns with the spirit of Zimbabwe, and I applaud it,” he said, comparing the initiative to historic reconciliation efforts such as the Unity Accord and the Government of National Unity.
