First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is reportedly cashing in on the sale of the national fabric, with the national dress becoming a common feature at State and ZANU PF functions.
As reported by NewsDay, the national fabric is being sold at the First Lady’s offices, while ZANU PF and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) as the principal retailers of the fabric.
Mnangagwa’s successor as Chirumanzu-Zibagwe MP, Barbara Rwodzi, who is also the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, has been at the forefront of promoting the national dress.
The cloth is reportedly fetching US$4 a metre at the ZTA offices in Harare, while an average cloth sells for US$1.50 in retail shops.
A prospective buyer who chose to remain anonymous told NewsDay that the whole national dress thing seems to be a money-making scheme given that the cloth is being sold at exorbitant prices. Said the source:
Why should we be forced to spend US$4 per metre on a piece of fabric when we can get similar material for much less?
This feels more like a money-making scheme than a genuine effort to promote national pride.
When contacted for a comment, Rwodzi said she was busy “preparing to go to Nyanga” and referred questions to her assistant.
The personal assistant, identified only as Kudzai, however, refused to entertain questions.
Despite the reports, ZANU PF director of information, Farai Marapira, asserted that the national fabric was selling exceptionally well. He said:
There has been a very serious uptake of the national dress. We are seeing a lot of excitement in things to do with our nation. We are inundated with people who are looking for that dress since it’s the topic at hand.
The House of Cheneso does orders with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and within a week, it will be sold out. That is how serious the uptake of the national dress is.
This is not a partisan dress. It is a dress for everyone. It’s about our national identity. It is not for ZANU PF people but for every Zimbabwean.
What we only do as ZANU PF is we just take orders through our commercial House of Cheneso so that it is easier for our party members to access it. It’s just us as ZANU PF supporting a national initiative.
Marapira expressed uncertainty regarding the recipient of the proceeds from fabric sales. He said:
I am not privy to what they do with the proceeds. I am not sure if they are working on a zero-profit basis. The Ministry of Tourism will be the best to answer that question.
Mnangagwa launched the national fabric in April 2020 in Harare after promoting it using ZANU PF structures.
Meanwhile, NewsDay reported that they could not independently verify if the proceeds are exclusively going into the First Lady’s pockets.
