HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s scarf and tie were bought for US$4,500 during an impromptu auction on Thursday.
Mnangagwa was officiating at the commissioning of a smelting plant at Unki Mine in Shurugwi when he took a shine to two pupils from a local primary school who sang for the guests.
“The performance by these children has moved me. They have since asked me for my tie and my scarf and I’m honouring their request,” Mnangagwa told guests at the platinum mine, according to the ZBC.
The two clothing items were then put on auction to raise money for Impali Primary School.
Unki Mine’s board chairman James Maphosa shelled out US$3,000 for the scarf, and another guest offered US$1,500 for the tie, which Mnangagwa said would be used to upgrade the school.
It is not the end of the scarf, however, which Mnangagwa has worn ubiquitously since 2018.
The scarf, in the colours of Zimbabwe, was an accidental fashion accessory for Mnangagwa after he wore it to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
It was perfect for the freezing Swiss mountain village in mid-winter, where Zimbabwe’s new leader was anxious to attract urgent investment to revive an economy that has been on its knees for over a decade.
But after the scarf made its debut on the BBC and CNN, Mnangagwa and his officials were convinced it could be used to sell Zimbabwe abroad – although the success of it remains undetermined.
