By Innocent Mujeri
In the ever-evolving landscape of Zimbabwean politics, few figures have displayed the levels of hypocrisy, desperation, and opportunism that Luke Tamborinyoka has. Once a spokesperson for the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Tamborinyoka has spent years attempting to carve a political legacy for himself, yet his career has been nothing short of an abject failure. His shift from an irrelevant political aspirant to a self-proclaimed political analyst has been characterised by reckless commentary, defamatory accusations, and a blatant disregard for democratic principles.
For someone who positions himself as a crusader of truth and justice, his record suggests otherwise. His political career has been marked by deceit, self-serving propaganda, and acts of electoral sabotage within his own party. Even worse, he has flirted with the dangerous rhetoric of inciting military intervention while conveniently turning a blind eye to the corruption within the opposition he so blindly defends. His latest article, filled with wild, baseless accusations, is merely another attempt by a failed politician to remain relevant in a country that has long moved past him. It has to be known that Tamborinyoka is a political opportunist who has no credibility, no integrity, and no moral authority to lecture anyone on governance and corruption.
Tamborinyoka’s entry into politics was through his association with the MDC, serving as the spokesperson for the late Morgan Tsvangirai. While many believed he would use this platform to build his political career, his ambitions quickly crumbled. His attempts to contest in elections ended in humiliation.
In 2018, his desperation to cling to political relevance led him to the courts after he was charged with defacing campaign posters belonging to a rival MDC Alliance candidate in Goromonzi West. This act of political sabotage not only exposed his true undemocratic nature but also highlighted his sheer hypocrisy. How does a man who preaches democracy engage in such acts of blatant political vandalism against his own supposed allies? The incident was not just a testament to his desperation but also to his fundamental lack of respect for democratic processes.
His relevance within the opposition continued to wane as he found himself sidelined in favour of more competent individuals. In the lead-up to the 2023 elections, he suffered yet another humiliation when Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa overlooked him in the candidate selection process, despite Tamborinyoka claiming he had won the nomination.
Chamisa seemed to have doubted Tamborinyoka’s capabilities to strengthen CCC hence he side-lined him and opted for the so-called young turks. Tamborinyoka could not bear the brunt of seeing Gift ‘Ostalos’ Siziba, Promise Mkwananzi, Prince Dubeko Sibanda and Fadzai Mahere taking the limelight. This rejection from within his own party speaks volumes about how he is viewed even by those closest to him. If he cannot even secure the confidence of his fellow opposition members, why should anyone take his political opinions seriously?
Tamborinyoka is not just a failed politician; he is a full-blown politicalpreneur—someone who exploits political activism to line his own pockets. At one point, when he was arrested for his usual silly political gimmicks, it was revealed that he was actually profiting from his time in remand prison. An organisation called You Zimbabwe was paying him US$100.00 for each day he spent behind bars. This disgraceful arrangement saw Tamborinyoka actively frustrating his own legal team, resisting bail applications because his continued stay in prison meant more money in his pockets.
This revelation paints him not as a fearless activist, but as a self-serving con artist who used his incarceration as a personal cash cow. How can a man who deliberately chose prison time for financial benefit ever claim to be fighting for the people? His antics have never been about principles or democracy; they have always been about enriching himself through deceitful schemes.
Tamborinyoka’s greed and irresponsibility eventually caught up with him, leading to his self-imposed exile. Unlike genuine political exiles who flee persecution, Tamborinyoka ran away from Zimbabwe because of mounting debts he could no longer service. Faced with the reality of his financial mismanagement, he took the cowardly route and skipped the country rather than facing his obligations like a responsible individual.
This is the same man who masquerades as a champion of economic justice, yet he couldn’t even manage his own finances. His sudden disappearance from the political scene had nothing to do with oppression but everything to do with avoiding creditors who were closing in on him. Zimbabweans should not be fooled by his false narratives—his exile is not about political persecution but about running away from his own failures.
Tamborinyoka has branded himself as an anti-corruption crusader, but his outrage is suspiciously selective. While he is quick to pen fiery rants about alleged corruption within the government, he remains deafeningly silent on the rampant mismanagement and corruption that has plagued his own political allies.
For years, MDC and CCC-run councils have been engulfed in corruption scandals, with funds meant for public service delivery either disappearing or being grossly misused. Millions in ratepayer funds have been unaccounted for, while opposition-led municipalities have been implicated in dubious land allocation schemes. Where was Tamborinyoka’s moral outrage when MDC councillors were looting public coffers? Why has he never penned an explosive exposé on the financial mismanagement that has turned opposition-run cities into ungovernable wastelands? The answer is simple: his so-called activism is not based on principle but on political expediency.
His failure to address corruption within his own camp exposes him as nothing more than a political propagandist masquerading as a journalist. His writings are not motivated by a desire for good governance but by a bitter vendetta against individuals he perceives as enemies of his defunct political ambitions.
Tamborinyoka has taken his desperation to new heights by recklessly hurling accusations without an iota of credible evidence. In his latest piece, he names 35 individuals—including President Emmerson Mnangagwa—and accuses them of criminal activities without offering a single shred of verifiable proof. This is not journalism; this is reckless defamation.
Under Zimbabwean law, defamation remains a serious civil offense, and those he has falsely accused have every right to take legal action against him. His irresponsible claims could land him in a courtroom, where he will be forced to answer for his baseless allegations. It is one thing to criticise leadership with well-researched arguments, but it is another to engage in a smear campaign built on conjecture and personal frustration. If he truly believed in accountability, he would provide tangible evidence rather than engaging in cheap propaganda.
Tamborinyoka’s reckless streak does not stop at defamation; he has even gone as far as subtly suggesting military intervention in Zimbabwean politics. His call for the military to “roll out the tanks” is a thinly veiled incitement to insurrection—an act that, in any democratic society, would be considered treasonous. Such statements are not just irresponsible; they are dangerous.
To call for military action against a democratically elected government is not only unconstitutional but also an outright incitement to chaos. While he postures as a champion of democracy, his actions suggest a disturbing admiration for unconstitutional power grabs. His words are reckless and a threat to national stability. If he is not careful, his penchant for sensationalism may see him answering for more than just defamation in the courts.
Tamborinyoka’s writings reek of bitterness and irrelevance. His failure to secure a lasting political position has turned him into an armchair activist who mistakes sensationalism for journalism. Instead of engaging in reasoned discourse, he opts for personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations. His work is not anchored in facts but in personal vendettas and political bitterness.
The Zimbabwean people deserve better. Political discourse should be built on facts, constructive criticism, and solutions, not on the embittered ramblings of a failed politician looking to regain relevance. If Tamborinyoka wants to be taken seriously, he must abandon his tired strategy of baseless accusations and begin engaging in evidence-based critique. Until then, his writings will remain nothing more than the desperate rantings of a political outcast grasping at straws.
Zimbabweans should know that Tamborinyoka is not the moral crusader he pretends to be. He is a failed politician turned reckless propagandist, a man who defaces campaign posters while preaching democracy, and a political opportunist who screams corruption only when it suits him. His selective outrage, reckless defamation, and dangerous rhetoric expose him as a hypocrite of the highest order.
Zimbabwe deserves intellectual and ethical political discourse, not the baseless rants of a political reject who cannot even earn the trust of his own party. If Tamborinyoka truly cared about good governance, he would be holding all political actors accountable—including his own allies. Until that day comes, he remains nothing more than a bitter, self-serving fraud with no credibility and no future in Zimbabwean politics.
