Rich Zimbos are taking the saying ‘go big or go home’ to a whole new level.
Local farmer, Collins Tafireyi was little known until his recent purchase of a multi-million dollar bull in South Africa.
Now, the 44-year-old is front page news after breaking the cattle auction record when he paid a whopping R8 million (more than P6 million) for a Boran bull named Cyclone over the weekend.
Last year, SA president, Cyril Ramaphosa forked out R3.5 million for a Boran bull at the same auction, setting a then-record which has now been smashed by the Zim farmer, a former journalist who used to freelance for KickOff magazine! Hopefully, my switch from scribe to farming will eventually reap similar rewards!
The wealthy farmer was not the only Zimbo at the event either, as it is reported he outbid his friend and neighbour, Rogers Sithole at the fiercely contested sale.
This means these men have unlimited dollar power and are prepared to spend crazy amounts on things they desire.
“This is not about the price, it’s about getting what I want. I am building the biggest and best brands in Africa. Cyclone really caught my eye six months ago and when he became available, I was determined to get him at any cost,” Tafireyi was quoted in the media.
Inevitably, this raises eyebrows and questions in regards to the source of the money, with some saying this extravagant expenditure must be scrutinized.
To make matters worse, the trending farmer is reportedly a close associate of Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga; in fact they are said to be from the same farming community in the Mashonaland East Province.
Some have labelled this massive spending the ‘Wicknell Chivayo’ style of outlay. Local and dodgy businessman, Chivayo is known for flaunting his wealth and spending big on high end cars, regardless of the fact that Zimbabwe has prevalent economic challenges.
But perhaps this type of high expenditure can somehow be excused since the farmer says it’s an investment and he expects to get a return on investment in the about three years.
The greatest attribute of a Boran bull is its fertility and Tafireyi is hoping to make money from selling its semen and offspring. Apparently Cyclone comes from a rich genetic family as his father, Picasso is a ‘breed legend’ in SA, with Tafireya confident the young bull will follow in his daddy’s footsteps.
Apart from that, he wants to be counted amongst the best cattle farmers on the continent and beyond.
“The plan is to breed high-quality animals in huge numbers for sale to Zimbabwean breeders and other farmers across the world. We want to make the Zimbabwean-bred Boran the best in the world,” Tafireyi was further quoted in the media.
I must admit, I love his enthusiasm for his line of business though I have issues with the extravagance.
It got me thinking though, dear reader, if money was no object and you were given P6 million to spend in one go, what would you splash the cash on?
