Anesu Mirisawu
SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
BUSINESSMAN Wicknell Chivayo has saluted Mukudzei “Jah Prayzah” Mukombe’s “street smarts and resourcefulness” after the latter approached him for permission to swap his luxury mercedes benz gift for a house to create his own studio.
The development comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has praised the Intratrek Zimbabwe boss for his philanthropic works – and at a time the flamboyant tycoon has somewhat turned out to be the Zanu PF leader’s de facto “special envoy” with his socio-politic activities – and his complaints that Kudzanai “Enzo Ishall” Mamhare had sold his sports utility for US$60 000.
“I bought him (Jah Prayzah) an S-Class (and) he drove it for about two or three months, then he came to see me for permission to trade in the car for a US$400 000 property he had been offered for the purposes of developing his offices and studio,” Chivayo told a local podcast TheDennyJ Show at the weekend.
“For me, he had no reason to come and consult me, but l was just humbled by the gesture, his courtesy and the fact that he had been saving up towards his dream, and push to establish his own empire,” he said.
While Chivayo has emphasised that he “had no gripe with Wallace a.k.a Winky D Chimuruko” as he was talented and in showering him with gifts as well, the 45 year-old businessman said he would have wanted the “Zim dancehall chanter to change his political views and state where he needed help exactly”.
With the youthful tycoon’s car giving spree comparing favorably with international celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey’s largesse, the IMC Communications owner said he was “going to continue giving after Mnangagwa’s endorsement – and encouragement – of the process”.
“To all Johane Masowe-eChishanu congregants, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to your elder madzibaba Wicknell Chivayo,” Mnangagwa said in Highfield, Harare on Saturday.
“May you continue with your philanthropic work (and I pray that) God richly reward you for the good… of the Church and, community at large…” he said, adding “ramba uchipa, ugopa and kuitira kuti kana newe uchapihwawo zvakawanda”.
While Chivayo is better known for his car-giving exploits and based on his “hustler’s mentality that a good car is a necessity”, the Intratrek boss said he also has a plan to “empower and buy people” – especially apostolic sect members – houses, and about 20 of them per month.
As he continues to build his multi-million dollar personal fortune and through the acquisition of private jets, including a gulf stream 550, bombardier challenger 300 and mansions in South Africa’s affluent Sandhurt and Cape Town’s Clifton suburb, the flamboyant tycoon has also built quite a formidable network of connections, which includes African presidents such as Mnangagwa, Kenya’s William Ruto, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Nigeria’s Ahmed Tinubu and others whom he frequently hobnobs with.
On the sources of his money, Chivayo told the show that he had contracts worth US$9 billion from across Africa and other deals with western conglomerates, which he uses to finance his flamboyant lifestyle.
On the other hand, the flamboyant trader’s activities have also “attracted lots of fraudulent activities and where some scamsters have robbed people in his name”.