Wicknell Chivayo just bought a fancy $7 million mansion from Augustine Chihuri, the former Zimbabwe police chief who ran away to Malawi. Chihuri stood with Robert Mugabe when tanks came to Harare in 2017 during the big power change. After his arrest, Chihuri escaped the country. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has close ties with Chivayo, who has spent time in prison.
The government tried taking Chihuri's huge house in 2020, claiming he made money through shady deals as police commissioner. They said he took about $10 million from the state illegally. But Chihuri fought back hard in court papers, saying Mnangagwa targeted him because of an old fight over a woman and because he refused to help remove Mugabe from power.
The court gave Chihuri his property back in 2022 when the government failed to prove its case against him. The big mansion sits in the Gletwyn area of Harare and looks quite eye-catching. Chivayo spent around $100,000 having South African company Norman Bakos fix up the inside with fancy furniture. His lawyers say a trust bought the house, but Chivayo himself admitted it belongs to him.
Chivayo hangs out with the rich and powerful in Zimbabwe politics these days. People spotted him with President Mnangagwa when Kenya's President William Ruto visited during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. Many ZANU PF members feel annoyed about how close Chivayo stays to the president. He gives away cars like Mercedes Benz and Toyota vehicles to party supporters and even dancers at political rallies.
Nobody understands where all his money comes from. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission looked into his wealth but found nothing they could use. Back in 2004, Chivayo went to jail for three years because he cheated someone from South Africa in a currency exchange deal. Despite his criminal past, he keeps moving up in Zimbabwe society through his political connections.
The government tried taking Chihuri's huge house in 2020, claiming he made money through shady deals as police commissioner. They said he took about $10 million from the state illegally. But Chihuri fought back hard in court papers, saying Mnangagwa targeted him because of an old fight over a woman and because he refused to help remove Mugabe from power.
The court gave Chihuri his property back in 2022 when the government failed to prove its case against him. The big mansion sits in the Gletwyn area of Harare and looks quite eye-catching. Chivayo spent around $100,000 having South African company Norman Bakos fix up the inside with fancy furniture. His lawyers say a trust bought the house, but Chivayo himself admitted it belongs to him.
Chivayo hangs out with the rich and powerful in Zimbabwe politics these days. People spotted him with President Mnangagwa when Kenya's President William Ruto visited during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. Many ZANU PF members feel annoyed about how close Chivayo stays to the president. He gives away cars like Mercedes Benz and Toyota vehicles to party supporters and even dancers at political rallies.
Nobody understands where all his money comes from. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission looked into his wealth but found nothing they could use. Back in 2004, Chivayo went to jail for three years because he cheated someone from South Africa in a currency exchange deal. Despite his criminal past, he keeps moving up in Zimbabwe society through his political connections.
