Waving goodbye to millions for a scarf
“Since they have so much money, why can’t they build factories and create the much-needed employment?”
Vice President, Constatino Chiwenga posed this rhetorical question while addressing a youth gathering recently, in reference to the continued profligate lifestyle of controversial ‘businessman’, Wicknell Chivayo.
Perhaps, Chiwenga was also referring to Chivayo’s godfather, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has been described by some as ‘car-crazed’ because of his penchant for dishing out top-of-the-range vehicles to whoever he feels like.
The VP does not shy away from criticizing the lifestyles of these individuals who flaunt their wealth left, right and centre; as it happens, most, if not all of them, are associates of the first family!
But Chiwenga is also part of the mess Zimbabwe finds herself in and now wants people to believe he has our best interests at heart.
Like someone once said: his fight with Mnangagwa has nothing to do with us, for all we care they can argue with each other until the cow’s come home!
Anyway, back to the money issue. At an extravagant fundraising gala dinner hosted by first lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa last Friday, Chivayo snapped up Mnangagwa’s scarf for a crazy $600, 000 (P8 million), breaking the record of previous auctions.
A few days earlier, Chivayo donated a cool $1million to his former primary school to build dormitories to be named Emmerson Dambudzo House and Auxillia House in honour of the first couple.
Chivayo’s true source of wealth remains questionable though he has made the bulk of his money from state tenders.
The 43-year-old, who celebrated his birthday last month, has no flourishing company to his name and has not made any well-known investments to generate income.
Yet he keeps handing out cash as if it grows on trees, begging the question posed by Chiwenga on why he cannot invest and create job opportunities for many jobless young people.
Of course it is his money and he has a right to spend it the way he wants but one would expect a true businessman to invest his cash.
One of his followers received backlash on social media (rightly so in my opinion) when he compared Chivayo to business mogul, Strive Masiyiwa, describing the two as the biggest businessmen and philanthropists of our time.
The truth of the matter is that these two are very different people; it is actually an insult for Mascom-founder, Masiyiwa, 64, to be compared with Chivayo.
The London-based Masiyiwa’s business record is clear and he is a global figure with a tangible empire while Chivayo, as already indicated, survives by sucking money from the government.
Honestly, it’s like comparing TAFIC FC with Barcelona, to put it into context for all you football fans!
