…Wicknell Chivayo met 10 African Presidents and a King
HARARE-(MaraviPost)-TANZANIAN President Samia Suluhu Hassan was in Harare yesterday virtually undercover to mourn the tragic death of local tycoon Wicknell Chivayo, a prominent tenderpreneur, whose business tentacles spread across southern and East Africa, writes The NewsHawks.
Officially, Suluhu was around to mourn Chivayo’s death, but in reality she was there to secure business and financial interests.
Chivayo had became a regular visitor to the Tanzanian State House, just like he was at the Zimbabwean State House to meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa and at the Kenyan State House to see President William Ruto.
In his regional business manoeuvres and shady dealings, Chivayo met 10 African Presidents and one king.
These include Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Ruto (Kenya), Suluhu (Tanzania), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Nigeria), Lazarus Chakwera/Peter Mutharika (Malawi), Daniel Chapo (Mozambique) and Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), as well as King Mswati.
Chivayo met Suluhu at least twice for official and personal courtesy visits.
The meetings between them include the May 25 engagement.
Their initial highly publicised business meeting took place at the State House in Dar es Salaam. Chivayo used the opportunity to pitch a proposed US$200 million luxury hospitality project in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro conservation areas through his firm, Intratrek Holdings Group.
Also in September, Chivayo and his wife paid a personal condolence visit to Suluhu following the passing of her husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan.
Beyond these personal meetings, Chivayo maintained strong financial ties to the first family, as Suluhu’s sons were reportedly his business partners.
Following Chivayo’s death in a helicopter crash on 30 September, Suluhu issued a condolence message before travelling to Harare.
Suluhu’a high-profile, private visit underscored the influence of Chivayo and culminated in discussions involving Mnangagwa.
The visit was heavily guarded. State security agents from both Zimbabwe and Tanzania imposed a media blackout at their wake, forcing journalists and local content creators to turn off cameras and mobile phones. During her brief trip, diplomatic protocols were observed as she engaged with officials and Mnangagwa, who had already declared Chivayo a provincial hero and expressed deep personal grief over the loss of his close “friend” as he described him.
Chivayo was close to Mnangagwa.
Even on the day he died, he had seen him in the morning before leaving for his rural Gandami home in Chikomba, Mashonaland East.
Chivayo family members say they had been told some heads of state may attend his funeral during his burial tomorrow.
Ruto, who was also close to Chivayo, was expected to attend, but has taken a circumspective approach ahead of elections.
Ruto was the first foreign leader to issue a statement, doing so even ahead of Mnangagwa.
The sight of a foreign head of state flying across the region to attend the funeral of a private citizen raised significant questions in the media.
Suluhu’s visit ran deeper than merely attending a funeral and offering condolences.
Reports from indicate Chivayo shared close personal and commercial bonds with Suluhu’s family just like with Ruto and Mnangagwa.
So the visit was about money.
Chivayo excelled at political proximity.
He routinely published photos documenting private meetings and other activities with various African heads of state pursuing tenders, a corrupt nexus between politics and business.
Suluhu’s visit served as a stark reminder of how Africa’s wealthy elite navigate the corridors of state power, leaving a legacy that blurs the lines between politics and business – capital cronyism, an economic system where business success depends heavily on close ties between corporate leaders and politicians, rather than free enterprise, the market or merit.
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