HARARE – In a startling revelation, a leaked audio recording has emerged featuring controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo boasting about how he uses his close relationship with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to secure lucrative, million-dollar deals.
Chivayo claims to have “captured” Mnangagwa and the government system, asserting that he has significant influence over the president and can obtain anything he desires.
In the leaked audio, Chivayo discusses his involvement in a corrupt US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) tender and highlights his connections with Mnangagwa and other high-ranking officials.
He also flaunted his wealth and extravagant spending, claiming his net worth increased ten to twenty times following the general elections last year.
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These claims highlight the ongoing conflict between Chivayo and his business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe regarding the ZEC deal.
Recently, Chimombe and Mpofu, both Zanu PF activists, accused Chivayo of fraudulently altering the tender contract. They alleged that Chivayo excluded them from the profitable deal and used the funds to support his lavish lifestyle, including purchasing luxury cars and mansions.
According to NewsHawks investigations, Chivayo allegedly inflated invoices by up to 235%.
The latest audio also suggests that Chivayo has significantly benefited from his association with Mnangagwa, referring to the President as “my son” and claiming he receives government contracts with advance payments because of this trusted relationship.
“Sometimes I ignore the moment I say ‘good morning’ you go straight to convene a meeting discussing the amount you would get in these deals,” Chivayo said in the audio.
“But if you get US$100,000. It keeps you going. How many times have I gotten these payments? Imagine this is the first one. Next week I’m getting another one which is US$5.2 million. Then we start other projects with the police, immigration, and so forth.
“Don’t be greedy. I told you, bring new work. Chinhu ndakachibata kuti dzvii (I have captured the whole system). When he was going to Italy, I got to the airport and he held my hand and said ‘my son walk me to the plane’.
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“We talked. After greeting both Vice Presidents, he gave me assignments to do while he was away and shouted at me ‘I will call you when I get to Italy’.
“So, I’m saying take advantage of that. Don’t try and eat in what I have done myself or what caused us problems in the past. How can you cry about school fees? Yesterday alone, I bought a watch for US$2.2 million.
“So, how can you cry about school fees? We once had a fallout with the President. But if he has accepted us, let’s get whatever is there and keep going.
“The level is now different. From election time, I’m ten times higher than I was then, if not twenty.”
Chivayo’s spending spree includes donating millions through cash and vehicle donations to Zanu-PF supporters. He recently donated US$1 million to the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Mnangagwa’s presence.
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