Collins Takunda Mnangagwa (born 24 February 1987) is a Zimbabwean businessman. . He is the son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa . His younger brother, David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, is Zimbabwe's deputy minister of finance and investment promotion.
He is the chief executive officer and chairman of ZIMCN Investments, which operates the Radnor Gold Mine in Mutoko, Mashonaland East Province. He is also chairman of Chenxi Investments (also rendered Chengxi), which conducts gold mining operations in Shurugwi, Midlands Province.
Contents
Early life and education
Collins Mnangagwa was born on 24 February 1987 in Zimbabwe. He is one of a pair of twins; his twin brother is Sean Mnangagwa, an officer in the Zimbabwe National Army. He also has an elder brother, Emmerson Mnangagwa Jnr, and a sister, Tarisai Mnangagwa.
He studied electrical engineering at the North China Electric Power University in Beijing, China, graduating in 2012 with a BSc in Electrical Engineering and its Automation, with a specialisation in mining plant automation systems.
Career
According to his professional profile, Mnangagwa worked as a senior consultant at Kurera Khulisa from around 2015. In 2021 he partnered with Chinese investor Chi Yingdan to establish ZIMCN Investments (also referred to as ZimCN or ZIM-CHINA). The company operates Radnor Gold Mine in the Makaha area of Mutoko, an area regarded as containing some of Zimbabwe’s richer gold deposits. In October 2021 Mnangagwa commissioned new milling and leaching plants at the mine; President Emmerson Mnangagwa later officially commissioned a multi-million-dollar plant at the site in 2022. ZIMCN has interests spanning mining, drilling and exploration, energy and logistics.
Mnangagwa is also chairman and senior partner of Chenxi Investments (Private) Limited, which has conducted open-cast gold mining on the Boterekwa Escarpment (Wolfshall Pass) near Shurugwi since around 2021–2022. The company’s general manager has publicly identified him in that role.
He has been associated with community and social initiatives, including through ED AID 1, such as renovations at Matapi Flats in Mbare, Harare, and support programmes involving food donations, youth skills training and assistance to artisanal miners.
Controversies and allegations
In 2020 Mnangagwa was linked in media reports to the Drax International controversy. Drax, represented in Zimbabwe by Delish Nguwaya, received government contracts related to COVID-19 supplies (reports cited figures in the region of US$1 million for one PPE consignment and larger sums for medicines). Allegations included inflated pricing and a lack of competitive tendering. Mnangagwa publicly denied any membership, shares, business or personal relationship with Drax or Nguwaya. Photographs later circulated showing social connections between the Mnangagwa twins and Nguwaya. The scandal contributed to the dismissal and arrest of then Health Minister Obadiah Moyo; Nguwaya was also arrested. Investigations were conducted by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
Also in 2020, during the trial of Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya (arrested for attempting to smuggle gold), a co-accused claimed the gold belonged to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and that Collins Mnangagwa was supposed to have exported it. Both Auxillia and Collins Mnangagwa denied involvement and were cleared of gold smuggling false allegations, Rushwaya was later convicted and fined.
Mining operations allegedely linked to Mnangagwa have faced environmental criticism. In January 2025 the Environmental Management Agency finedZIMCN over alleged pollution at Radnor Mine after reports of cyanide-contaminated water affecting livestock. Chenxi’s activities on the Boterekwa Escarpment have been accused of extensive vegetation clearance (satellite imagery cited by investigators), pollution of rivers and streams, impacts on local tourism features such as Dunraven Falls, and damage to nearby housing from blasting. The company has faced fines and licensing scrutiny; critics have alleged reluctance by authorities to enforce stricter measures due to political connections, while the company has maintained that its operations are lawful.
Personal life
Collins Mnangagwa has been reported as married, with a public vow renewal ceremony around the 10-year mark of one marriage (references to a wife named Linnet/Linet appear in coverage from 2023). Subsequent unverified reports described a second marriage or relationship with Kelsea Tadiwa Tafirenyika. In August 2026 Tafirenyika appeared in court on drug-related charges after police allegedly recovered pethidine, morphine and cannabis at a residence linked to her.