FLASHY: Wicknell Chivayo showing off his hard cash
What exactly does Sir Wicknell do?
A colleague in Botswana asked me this question recently as young and super rich Zimbabwean businessman, Wicknell Chivayo also known as Sir Wicknell continues to spend millions, buying top of the range vehicles for some well known Zimbos.
On Tuesday morning, my husband also rhetorically asked where Chivayo was getting his money from when news broke that one musician had rejected his US$500 000.00 gifts.
I instantly got an idea for my column.
For Chivayo, money seems to grow on trees yet his main source of income remains a mystery.
He became well known after his company Intratrek Zimbabwe won a multi- million US dollar tender in 2015 to set up a solar project in Gwanda, a small town in the Matabeleland South Province.
The project which was supposed to be done in three years is yet to be completed.
And by the way, this is the only company that he is linked to.
Meanwhile, 41- year- old Chivayo continues to flaunt his wealth and blessing the lucky ones in the process.
Zimbabwe has had other flamboyant businessmen who don’t or didn’t shy away from showing off their affluence, including the late Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure but Chivayo has taken it to another level.
In the last couple of months he has spent no less than US$5million buying high end cars to give away to some of the country’s musicians.
His latest beneficiary is artist Alick Macheso who last week received a Mercedes Benz GLE400d worth US$140 000.
This week, American based musician Thomas Mapfumo turned down the lavish gifts from Chivayo which compromised of a car worth US$200 000.00 and a house worth US$300 000.00
In January, Chivayo blessed his Johanne Masowe Apostolic Sect fellow church members with 50 Toyota Aqua vehicles while the church leader and his wife were gifted with a Toyota Hilux and a Fortuner V8 respectively.
Personally, the well-off socialite owns a fleet of luxury vehicles, which include latest versions of Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce and Range Rovers.
In 2023 he reportedly spent US$1.9 million on cars alone in just one week.
While there are so many unanswered questions regarding his source of wealth, one thing remains, Chivayo is no ‘ordinary’ rich man as he has in the past posted pictures of himself wining and dining with the former first family.
He has however over the years refused to take any questions from the media and shows to the world what he wants seen.
He is active on social media where he is usually showing off his vehicles, stashes of cash and jewellery.
When he donates, he does so in the public eye as he posts on various social media platforms where he has thousands of followers.
And who knows, maybe by the time you are reading this column he would have given away yet another luxurious vehicle.