Some Civil Servants Splashing US$2 Million On Daughters’ Weddings: Mnangangwa Biographer Eddie Cross

Lavish Weddings By A Few Civil Servants Exposed By Eddie Cross

Some civil servants in Zimbabwe are reportedly splashing out up to US$2 million (about R36 million) on weddings for their daughters. The claims were made by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s biographer and former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Monetary Policy Committee member, Eddie Cross, in a blog post published on Saturday, 4 October 2025.

Cross raises alarm over lavish spending

In his detailed piece, The Changing Zimbabwean Economy, Cross painted a complex portrait of Zimbabwe’s economic landscape. He said that while most public servants are underpaid and barely coping, a small minority are living in wealth comparable to oligarchs.

Cross said some government workers were hosting weddings for their daughters that cost as much as US$2 million.

“It’s not limited to the oligarchs – we have civil servants who can spend US$2 million on the wedding of their daughter. Many parts of our cities look like Hollywood – homes with helicopter pads, heated pools, irrigated gardens. Luxury cars crowd our roads.”

He was quick to stress that such extravagance represents a minority. The majority of civil servants, according to Cross, survive on modest salaries, often seeking extra income from side jobs or informal trading.

The informal economy’s survival role

Cross highlighted how Zimbabwe’s informal economy has become the backbone of survival for most citizens, including struggling civil servants. He recounted his visit to Mbare, which he described as the “heart of our economy,” noting the dynamism, order, and sheer volume of business taking place there.

He gave an example of how the informal sector offers goods and services at a fraction of the formal cost.

“I wanted a water tower for an elevated tank at home – went to a formal sector industrial plant and was quoted 6 weeks delivery and US$1,600. I went to Mbare and got what I wanted for US$500, it was delivered to my home in 5 hours, still wet with paint. It operates perfectly.”

Similarly, he described motor workshops where small taxis could be fitted with new engines in a single day for US$350 (about R6,300), and meals could be bought for as little as US$2 (about R36).

Cross contrasted this resourceful side of the economy with the spending habits of the wealthy minority in government, saying the disparity was a clear sign of how far apart Zimbabweans now live.

Oligarchs, the “grey economy” and inequality

Beyond the informal and formal sectors, Cross described the “grey economy,” dominated by oligarchs and wealthy elites. He claimed that this sector, often unregulated, moves billions of dollars annually.

“One of the well-known gold oligarchs handled US$1,4 billion last year, he does not have a bank account, another handled over US$5 billion,” he said.

According to Cross, these individuals live in extreme luxury — from buying boats worth US$37 million in Dubai to spending millions of dollars in a single day abroad. Some of this culture of excess, he argued, has seeped into parts of the civil service, although only among a minority.

At the same time, he pointed to a national crisis in education and healthcare, with schools underfunded and hospitals facing shortages of drugs and even cleaning supplies. He highlighted the irony of a society where private schools could win competitions abroad while public institutions were left in disarray.

“Our public education system is a disaster… our public health system has no drugs, even cleaning materials. We are now one of the most unequal societies in the world and this simply cannot go on.”

The deepening divide

Cross concluded that the contrast between the lifestyles of ordinary citizens and those of a wealthy minority — including certain civil servants — underlined Zimbabwe’s worsening inequality.

He said that while the informal sector continues to keep millions afloat, the sight of some civil servants spending millions on weddings while others rely on side jobs and diaspora remittances showed how divided the nation had become.

The full article, The Changing Zimbabwean Economy, can be read on Eddie Cross’s website.