Scott Sakupwanya Paid US$4.2 Million for Fuel Despite Government Owning Petrotrade

Scott Sakupwanya Paid US$4.2 Million for Fuel Despite Government Owning Petrotrade

US$4.2 Million Fuel Deal with Scott Sakupwanya Raises Eyebrows as Govt Bypasses Petrotrade

Zimbabweans were left fuming after it emerged that the Ministry of Finance authorised a payment of US$4.2 million to Betterbrands Petroleum, a company owned by Zanu PF Member of Parliament Scott Sakupwanya.

Govt Authorises US$4.2 Million Fuel Deal with Scott Sakupwanya

On Monday, 2 June 2025, investigative outlet ZimLive posted a payment instruction on X (formerly Twitter), showing that the government transferred just over US$4.2 million to Sakupwanya’s company. The instruction, stamped 30 May, bore the approval of Finance Ministry permanent secretary George Guvamatanga.

The document instructs Treasury to debit a USD account and pay Betterbrands Petroleum, listing all banking details. It ends with a standard request for cooperation. The payment instruction reads:

“May you please debit Treasury USD Tax Nostro Account Number 5783600003612 with US$4,295,916.87 (Four Million Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixteen United States Dollars Eighty Seven Cents) and pay Betterbrands Petroleum, whose account details are as follows;
Account Name: Betterbrands Petroleum

Bank Name: ECOBANK

Account Number: 5712000014236

Amount: US$4,292,916.87

This payment is on behalf of the Ministry of Finance. Your usual cooperation will be greatly appreciated.”

No Official Response from Sakupwanya or Guvamatanga

Despite public interest in the transaction, ZimLive noted that both Guvamatanga and Sakupwanya had not responded to requests for comment. While Betterbrands deals in bulk fuel, many Zimbabweans are questioning why the government would make such a large purchase from a private company when it owns Petrotrade, a state-run petroleum supplier.

See the payment instruction below:

The payment has raised eyebrows over transparency and fairness in government procurement, especially given the lack of explanation from the officials involved.

Also read: Scott Sakupwanya & Thuli Phongolo Finally Speak On Their “Relationship”

Social Media Reactions: Outrage, Defences, and Frustration

The backlash on social media was swift. Many were angered by what they saw as blatant favouritism and misuse of public funds, while others tried to rationalise the transaction or reflect on long-standing practices within the fuel supply chain. Still, the dominant mood was frustration and distrust, especially given the silence from those at the centre of the controversy.

Here are some of the reactions:

@JonesMusara:

Zimbabwe is Open for Business. That includes the Government buying fuel from private suppliers. Are you that dull to not understand such rudimentary issues?

@muzekepwa:

I worked for Petrotrade between 2011 and the first quarter of 2014. We struggled to get fuel orders from government departments. They would only come to Petrotrade when they wanted to buy on credit. The argument was that Petrotrade should not get an unfair advantage over other oil companies when it comes to supplying government departments. As a result, the bulk of government departments used Redan coupons. So as long as the fuel was competitively priced, there was no issue.

@Changunda1:

They’ll look for who leaked the payment instructions as opposed to responding & allowing the 4th estate to play its independent role in holding GVT to account. Rambai makadzvanya💪

@iMbube7:

They can loot day & night because they know Zimbabwean citizens are useless cowards who will never do anything. We just get passports or sell broilers.

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The post Scott Sakupwanya Paid US$4.2 Million for Fuel Despite Government Owning Petrotrade appeared first on iHarare News.

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