By Cde Sikhosana Bambazonke
Tino Tungwarara, the 18-year-old daughter of the Special Presidential corruption adviser Paul “Temptation” Tungwarara, has been hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
Freshly declaring herself “legal” after turning 18 a few weeks ago, Tino has embarked on a whirlwind publicity tour powered by what critics describe as her father’s deep pockets and deeper political connections.
From launching the Tap N Go business meant to rival InDrive, to flooding social media with displays of excess, her presence has become unavoidable.
The young socialite appears convinced that with her father enjoying the President’s ear, every door can open and every controversy can disappear.
Evidence, however, suggests that despite proclaiming independence, Tino remains firmly attached to her father’s controversial wealth.
She has become synonymous with extravagant online flexing that many Zimbabweans view less as inspiration and more as mockery.
On Instagram, she casually boasts about spending more than US$18 000 on fashion shopping sprees, taking helicopter rides in her father’s chopper and driving a G-Wagon to buy groceries.
There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying a wealthy father’s money.
However, questions begin to arise about her father’s source of wealth.
After all he is a beneficiary of many lucrative state contracts that didn’t go to tender.
The problem, critics argue, begins when this new found luxury is weaponised to taunt ordinary citizens battling abject economic hardships.
On May 7, Tino once again grabbed national attention after initiating what many described as a “US$500 scavenger hunt” online.
To frustrated Zimbabweans, it looked less like generosity and more like a real-life Hunger Games episode staged for people struggling to survive.
The spectacle angered many citizens who noted that thousands of civil servants are currently demanding that same amount as a monthly salary capable of sustaining their families.
For critics, the episode reinforced the growing perception that Zimbabwe’s elite children now treat poverty as entertainment.
Tino also drew outrage after nurses were reportedly made to dance and gyrate for US$100 in front of the President and invited guests during the official unveiling of refurbished nurses’ quarters.
The event allegedly saw nurses frog-marched to the gathering and forced to carry placards endorsing the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill No.3 (CAB3).
True Patriots, the irony was impossible to ignore.
The same nurses who scrambled, gyrated and twerked for handouts are the very workers who have repeatedly downed tools while protesting poor salaries and collapsing working conditions.
Zimbabwe’s nurses continue to work in difficult environments, often without adequate equipment or resources.
Critics say the episode exposed not only the widening gap between the ruling elite and ordinary citizens, but also the arrogance that comes with unchecked privilege.
As for the young socialite, many Zimbabweans have a simple warning: pachamhanyiwa pamberi apo.
