POKELLO’S LUXURY LIFE WHILE ZIMBABWEANS SUFFER IN POVERTY
While most Zimbabweans are struggling to survive, Pokello Nare, who is President Mnangagwa’s daughter-in-law, is living a rich and expensive life. She just turned 40 and decided to celebrate her birthday at Lake Como in Italy, one of the most expensive places in Europe. This is a location for the world’s richest people—full of fancy hotels, luxury boats, and expensive restaurants. It is a dream for millionaires, not ordinary people. Yet while families in Zimbabwe are searching for mealie meal and cooking oil, Pokello is out there enjoying “la dolce vita,” which means “the sweet life” in Italian.
Many Zimbabweans online were shocked and angry when they saw the photos and videos from her birthday. There was luxury everywhere—designer clothes, fine food, expensive champagne, and the calm blue waters of Lake Como. It looked like something from a movie. But to most people in Zimbabwe, it was a painful reminder of how unfair life has become under ZANU PF rule.
Zimbabwe’s economy is broken. The cost of living keeps rising every day. Workers earn little, and their salaries lose value before the month even ends. Hospitals have no medicine, schools are in ruins, and many families go days without water or electricity. Youth unemployment is among the highest in Africa. But instead of fixing this, the people close to power are showing off their wealth.
Pokello is not just an ordinary woman. She is married to Mnangagwa’s son and enjoys all the benefits that come with being part of the ruling family. She calls herself the “Queen of Swagger,” known for her fashion and fame. But today, she represents something much darker—the growing distance between the rulers and the ruled. Her birthday trip is not just a holiday. It is a clear picture of how the powerful live in another world while the rest of the nation suffers.
This is not new. The Mnangagwa family has often been seen living large. His sons drive expensive cars, wear designer clothes, and drink alcohol that costs more than what teachers earn in a year. They live like kings while the country falls apart. The poor are told to be patient and work hard, but the rich are busy enjoying the money that should be fixing our hospitals and schools.
Zimbabweans are tired. They want answers. How can one family live like this when millions have nothing? Who pays for these luxury trips? How can people in power talk about patriotism while their loved ones live like foreign royalty? No one in government dares to question it, and those who speak up are called enemies of the state.
A government that truly cares would not allow such things. A real leader would feel the hunger of the people and act to end their suffering. But ZANU PF has failed to lead with compassion. It protects the rich and punishes the poor. It celebrates luxury while citizens queue for bread.
Pokello’s Lake Como trip is more than a birthday—it is a mirror of everything wrong in Zimbabwe. It shows the greed, the arrogance, and the complete loss of shame among those in power. While the poor cry for help, the ruling elite dance on their pain. This must stop.
We must continue to speak out. We must continue to expose the truth. The future of Zimbabwe cannot belong to a few families who treat the country like their personal bank account. It must belong to the millions who suffer, hope, and still believe in a better tomorrow. The sweet life of the rich cannot last forever. One day, the people will rise and demand justice. And when that day comes, no amount of money will protect those who forgot the cries of their nation.
