Staff Writer
A Zimbabwean pressure group coalescing around the moniker Rise up Zimbabwe which is on a diplomatic offensive locally and around global nations like the United Kingndom calling for authorities to act on a slew of charges against former minister Tendai Biti, has produced another damning dossier with fresh charges.
In the UK, the group last month approached the country’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with a petition signed by 5 000 citizens but now highlight its membership and signatories to the petition is now 15 000 Zimbabweans.
Full text of the latest dossier:
18 July 2025
THE EMERGENCY OF ZIMBABWE’S CRIMINAL CARTEL RIVALING THE POWER OF GOVERNMENT: THE ROLE PLAYED BY RG MUGABE AND TENDAI LAXTON BITI.
This document is prepared by Rise Up Zimbabwe, a pressure group which is not registered. It was formed by concerned citizens alarmed by the existence of a corrupt cartel that has captured all institutions of government threatening our democracy and rule of law.
The pressure group has now more than 15 000 members who wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the former prosecutor general of Zimbabwe said: “A cartel made up of police officers, lawyers, prosecutors, magistrates and judges working in cahoots with powerful politicians has corrupted the justice delivery system in Zimbabwe and is prepared to kill to get its way,”
“If you see some of the intelligence that we have in terms of corruption here, it has become a threat to the survival of government because the syndicates are now so powerful to the extent that they rival the power of government.”
In 2020, Hodzi said that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), the State, media and the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) are captured by the cartel.
In December 2022, ZACC said that the country’s judiciary was riddled with corruption and this was further buttressed by Transparency International’s report which identified the judiciary system as a corruption hotspot.
In their letter addressed to the State President, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court said that they were so afraid of their jobs that they consciously and sub consciously make decision that they consider safe even if they do not go according with the law.
They said that no Supreme Court judgment is made without the Chief Justice’s approval.MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESSURE GROUP
The objective of the group was to Identify members of the cartel and its formation.
It was established beyond reasonable doubt that the cartel was formed in 1996 by the former president of Zimbabwe Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his cousin Tendai Biti both Tumbukas of Malawian descent.
REASONS FOR THE FORMATION OF THE CARTEL BY MUGABE AND BITI.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe became the first Executive Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in 1980.
He later became the first Executive President.
It emerged that his major objective was to establish a one-party state in the country. In pursuit of this idea any opposition party had to be crushed by force starting with ZAPU led by Dr Nkomo.
He created the 5th Brigade an army detached from the Zimbabwe National army.
The 5th Brigade was used to crush ZAPU killing more than 20 000 perceived ZAPU supporters in Matebeleland and Midlands regions.
As a result of the gruesome persecutions, the opposition ZAPU was forced into a Unity Accord in 1987.
The accord was part of Mugabe’s aim of achieving a one-party state. Within the Unity Accord, Mugabe created divisions between two major ethnic groups in Zimbabwe – the Ndebele and the Shona.
However, Mugabe of Malawian descent, did not belong to any of these two major tribes.
Mugabe wanted to stay in power for as long as he could. He wanted to leave power to a person of Malawian origin.
In 1988-89 Tendai Laxton Biti became Student Secretary General at the University of Zimbabwe.
He boasted to colleagues that he had limitless access to the University Chancellor, then R G Mugabe.
Mugabe identified Biti as his successor and started grooming him through Honey and Blacken berg Legal Practitioners rushing him to become a partner of the law firm in less than a year after graduation.
In 1996, Mugabe made Biti a GOVERNMENT LAWYER. That was the birth of the criminal cartel as we know it today. From 1996 onwards Biti controlled all institutions of government.
ROAD MAP TOWARDS MUGABE LIFE PRESIDENCY.
In 1996, Tendai Laxton Biti the government lawyer started holding meetings at St Luke Anglican Church in Greendale.
The meetings led to the formation of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). The NCA was formed for nefarious purposes mainly to use it to form the political party Movement for Democratic Change.
The MDC party was also formed for nefarious purposes. These were to destroy an effective labour movement championing the cause of the workers, use the MDC to reject the 2000 draft constitution which would have reduced Mugabe’s presidential powers.
The draft constitution introduced two-five- term limits. Mugabe would have left office in 2010.
They closed room for new political parties through the use of the MDC project which ensured that the opposition would not win the Presidency. Biti also used manipulation of election results, terror and filing of fake stage-managed Presidential Election Petition.
USE OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE SINCE 2000 AS A WAY OF DESTROYING THE ECONOMY AND KEEP MUGABE IN POWER
The Draft Constitution presented to Mugabe by the Chidyausiku Commission did not include the so-called land clause.
The land clause was inserted in the draft constitutions by the ‘two cousins.’ People believed in an orderly redistribution of land to address past imbalances.
The Mugabe – Biti cartel used the rejection of the Draft Constitution as an excuse to pursue the philosophy of impoverishing the black people of Zimbabwe.
This was achieved though brazen destruction of the economy using violence, killing white commercial farmers to destroy a critical arm of the economy, started grand looting of state resources and killing perceived opposition party supporters.
Biti is the architect of terror during elections.
He personally campaigned for the imposition of sanction by the American Government. These are used as a scapegoat for the economic meltdown caused by brazen looting of state resources.
He destroyed the Zimbabwean currency by compelling the Reserve Bank governor to print currency.
Started command agriculture and a host of other measures designed to facilitate looting of state resources.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID BY SOME PROMINENT ZIMBABWEANS RELATING TO STATE CAPTURE BY TENDAI LAXTON BITI
- DOCTOR GIDEON GONO – FORMER GORVENOR OF THE RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE
During an interview with Trevor Ncube in April 2024 the former governor said.: “I would always say you can appoint all Zimbabweans to become governors but there was an elephant in the room which unless it was exorcised all the 14 million governors that you would appoint will never succeed. It is still there (The elephant in the Room) we all Know”
Dr Gono was Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor for 10 years from 2003 to 2013.
The elephant in the room is Tendai Laxton Biti. He started working with Mugabe on a full-time basis as a cartel godfather using the operative name ‘Government lawyer’.
All major government decisions which required Mugabe’s signature had to be signed by Biti before Mugabe could sign. This means Tendai Laxton Biti captured all state institutions. - DOCTOR KUDAKWASHE TAGWIREI PROMINENT ZIMBABWEAN BUSINESSMAN
Speaking at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo on 26 June 2025 Dr Tagwirei said, “If I was to stand here, and Tendai Biti knows this and I start to speak about his corrupt activities, where will we go.”
He went on to say, “The likes of Kasukuwere, Biti they are loud mouthed, but they are tenderpreneurs”.
The statements by Doctor Tangwerei are very clear. Tendai Laxton Biti is responsible for dishing out corrupt government tenders. He is the elephant in the room referred to by Dr Gono. The cartel godfather. - STATEMENT BY TENDAI LAXTON BITI IN HIS APPLICATION FOR A ZIMBABWEAN DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT DATED 10 JULY 2025
In response to question number 5 on the passport application portal for a diplomatic passport he answered as follows, “I have been a government lawyer for over 30 years. I also work in government as Minister of Finance and still give legal advice as and when required.”
In response to question number 6 on the same portal he gave his references as Martin Rushwaya (Army Major General retired) the Chief Secretary in the office of the President and cabinet) and Virginia Mabhiza (the attorney general).
Biti says he has been a government lawyer of over 30 years. Government Lawyer is the title assigned to Tendai Laxton Biti in 1996 by Mugabe.
Mugabe nominated Biti, his cousin to be the head of the cartel to run a parallel government.
They reduced our country to a Banana Republic filling government positions with cronies who join the looting spree.
He says he also works in government obviously as the finance minister of the parallel government responsible for uncontrolled grand looting and externalisation of billions of dollars.
Biti alone has properties In United Kingdom, Canada, U.S.A. Australia and South.
The two cousins’ rural homes in Malawi are well developed whilst Zimbabweans languish in poverty.
TENDAI LAXTON BITI IS CO DIRECTOR WITH SENIOR GOVERNMENT AND JUDICIARY OFFICIALS IN FOREIGN COMPANIES LISTED BELOW
• Biti Rushwaya and Mashava Limited Uk. Directors: Tendai Biti, Martin Rushwaya and Grey Mashava (Army General retired personal assistant to the Vice President).
• Biti and Sithole Ltd. Directors: Tendai Biti and Virginia Mabhiza (nee Sithole.)
• Zimbabwe Mining Investments Limited (British Virgin Islands). Directors: are Tendai Biti, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and Christopher Mutsvangwa.
• Rockover Zimbabwe Holdings Limited (British Virgin Islands). The Directors are Tendai Biti, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and Christopher Mutsvangwa)
• Renaissance Zimbabwe Management Limited (Mauritius). The Directors are Tendai Biti, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and Christopher Mutsvangwa.
CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST TENDAI LAXTON BITI
The pressure group still expect international donors and the Western governments to help expose Biti. He must be charged with the following criminal offences.
- Political Murders – The murder of 28 former white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe between 2000 to 2014. The murder of 6 innocent people on 1st August 2018 during a fake demonstration demanding release of election results before counting of the votes had been completed. Hundreds of MDC supports murders during the 2002 and 2008 elections.
- Fraud – stealing of donor funds from the Western World and the international community disguised as a genuine opposition member to the current regime, whilst converting these funds into personal use from 1998 to the present day.
- Embezzlement of public funds and state resources through control of government operations.
- Raping of under-age and young girls – Criminal dockets against Tendai Laxton Biti are being blocked from going to court through his influence.
- Abuse of political trust – Biti disguised as political opposition controls all government operations to undermine citizens’ human rights and causing extreme suffering of citizens by denying them their basic needs which includes public service deliverables like health care, clean water, electricity and high cost of living beyond most citizens.
CONCLUSION ADDRESSED TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE
The former prosecutor spoke about a cartel rivalling the power of government in 2018 and 2020. Nothing was done.
The former Reserve bank of Zimbabwe spoke about the elephant in the room in 2024. Nothing was done.
Judges of the High and Supreme spoke about corruption in judiciary. Nothing was done.
Many Zimbabweans have spoken about rampant corruption in the judiciary.
Nothing was done.
One thing is clear the Elephant in the Room, the fake government lawyer, self-declared Finance minister of the parallel government is more powerful than the captured state and all institutions of government.
This means in our opinion that the Government lawyer for over 30 years, the elephant in the room for over 30 years and Criminal cartel godfather for over 30 years is working with foreign international criminals to plunder our national resources.
This is a national tragedy which cannot be allowed to continue unchallenged.
Today, we and our children see videos of our freedom fighters being bombed in foreign countries. Many died, many were crippled.
They fought and paid the supreme sacrifice for our freedom, equality, democracy and rule of law.
They did not fight and die for the elephant in the room, the government lawyer and cartel mafia godfather Tendai Laxton Biti to run our national affairs with international criminals.
In our view this constitutes treason. His activities must be stopped immediately. We demand justice!
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