30/09/2026
THE BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION: WHEN WEALTH BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN ACCOUNTABILITY
Today, Zimbabwe is once again confronted with the complicated legacy of Wicknell Chivayo — a businessman whose name became inseparable from extraordinary wealth, political proximity, massive government-linked contracts, extravagant gifts and some of the most persistent corruption allegations surrounding public procurement in Zimbabwe.
Let us be clear: allegations are not convictions. Chivayo repeatedly denied wrongdoing and disputed accusations made against him. But accountability does not begin with a conviction. It begins with asking uncomfortable questions — questions that citizens, journalists, investigators, regulators and government institutions have every right to ask.
And there are many questions.
The Gwanda Solar Project is perhaps the most powerful symbol of those questions. A project awarded to Intratrek Zimbabwe in 2015 was intended to deliver a 100MW solar power station. Millions of dollars were paid for preliminary works, the project became embroiled in legal and political controversy, and years later Zimbabweans were still asking why such a strategically important energy project had not delivered what had been promised.
That is not merely a business dispute.
When a public project involves hundreds of millions of dollars, the public deserves transparency. It deserves competitive procurement. It deserves measurable results. And most importantly, it deserves an explanation when the promised infrastructure does not materialise on time.
Then came the controversy surrounding Zimbabwe's election procurement.
Investigations reported by Open Secrets and The Sentry alleged that Ren-Form, a South African company involved in supplying election materials, received more than R1 billion from Zimbabwe's Ministry of Finance and that more than R800 million subsequently moved into business accounts associated with Chivayo. The same reporting said South Africa's Financial Intellig
