Musician Sandra Ndebele poses in front of the car given to her by Wicknell Chivayo
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WICKNELL Chivayo shares a love-hate relationship with a lot of Zimbabweans. While he has been on a giving spree in the last few months, in the eyes of some, Chivayo remains a boastful man with a questionable shoe addiction.
In the past, Chivayo has not been shy to showcase his wealth and rub people’s faces in it. When he bought new toys in his garage, he made sure his countrymen knew and when he travelled first class, the information was likewise efficiently spread. Like other flamboyant businessmen, the likes of Phillip Chiyangwa and more recently, the late Ginimbi, Chivayo has had his fair share of critics.
In a country where authorities are seized with the task of reviving an economy, those who flaunt wealth will always attract the unhealthy kind of attention. It certainly does not help that he has found himself hauled before the courts in a high profile case. It does not matter that Wicknell came out unscathed from that legal ordeal. In the court of public opinion he had already been tried and convicted and it is easy to see why that is the case.
However, over the past few weeks, Wicknell’s generosity has overflowed. Christmas has come and gone but while Santa Claus takes a rest, Wicknell has continued working even harder, giving out gifts at what is, to some at least, an alarming rate.
While some question the source of his wealth, last week on Capitalk FM, Wicknell broke down the gospel according to him. While Wicknell has been in a very giving mood towards celebrities and other public figures, he has not forgotten to “bless” members of the Johane Masowe sect he subscribes to.
“At church, when we buy people cars, sometimes there are people who are over 65-years old and maybe started praising the lord in 1975 and have never had a car in their lives. Like last week, there’s a man who came to church riding a bicycle. I enquired about who he was and I was told. Then I asked if he had a licence and he told me he had one because he used to drive trucks. So,l told him that on that day he was not supposed to be worshipping but he should instead go and take a Ford Ranger double cab. I told the person who was accompanying them to also get an Aqua so they could both travel in style.
“In church, I look at the commitment a person has towards worship. In our church there are a lot of people so I don’t know them by their names, I know them by their faces. So, I pick an elder and then show them the 20 people that I want to give cars. Then I ask them to choose 30 people of their own to add to their name. We look at the people that have been coming to church for a long time. Those that are committed…we are talking about people who have spent 15, 20, 30 years committed. They are not expecting anything in return,” he said.
According to Chivayo, any church member who wants to win his favour must first show love and care to the less fortunate.
“If you’re a prophet, I have to see that you’re really working for the people. I have to see that you’re really committed and you’re not just targeting me because I don’t want you to target me, a person who already has money. What will you prophesy? That I will get money? I have been getting money all my life that’s not something that’s new to me. I want to see you showing love to people that are not important…so everyone, who showed that kind of commitment touched my heart. Everyone in Marondera who showed that kind of commitment now has a house and a car,” he said.
However, while he was giving, Chivayo said the way people approached him, played a big part in whether he helped them or not.
“At church, I can’t help everyone but there are channels through which we can help people with genuine grievances.
The approach is always important. There are children with 15 points at A-Level but their parents can’t waylay me on a Friday at 9am when I’ve just put on my garments and preparing to worship. You have to gauge my mood and then approach me correctly,” he said.
So why is the businessman suddenly dishing out cars like confetti? Chivayo said the answer to his generosity could be found in his childhood.
“I grew up in a background where I got a lot of assistance from strangers. One of my father’s friends was the late Air Marshall Josiah Tungamirai and also Alexio Mashamhanda from Mashwede. So, when my father passed away, I expected that I would be going to the rural areas to attend school there but instead I attended boarding schools. They paid for my fees.
“Alex Mashamhanda was my father’s bank manager when he used to work at Barclays. So when he passed away, he said you’re now my child. He had a company called M and H Suppliers and I would go there and he would give me three blank cheques for me to just write. I would buy uniforms, groceries, shoes…I just acted like a rich man’s son. Then he would ask how much I wanted in pocket money. My father was late but he would say ‘I am still alive’. So this is how I grew up,” he said.
Due to this background, Chivayo said he got to understand that blood was sometimes thicker than water.
“At school I was known as the kid that brought a lot of things but my father was late. My father was late, my mother was broke so this is why I do what I do. I know that even if you’re related to a person, they can help you a lot. Mashamhanda would say can I pay the school fee, Josiah Tungamirai would say where is my child? Is his school fees paid yet?
“It was not like they were very close, but the fact that they knew that this is Isaac Chivayo’s child and he died from an accident, made them want to help. They also knew that my father was my best friend and we would travel everywhere together. So, I knew all these people. That’s how I grew up,” he said.
Chivayo has given gifts of cars church members and media personalities and even expensive models to musicians across the country.
