Understanding Wicknell and His Money as Ambiguous Influence in Zimbabwe

By Takura Zhangazha*

Controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has been quite literally dishing out both luxury and basic utility cars to celebrities and individuals at an alarming rate.  Both unilaterally or upon social media requests/ pleas from long known celebrities.   

He has also been helping, at least according to his social media accounts and some media reports, well known national figures in their times of medical, accommodation or welfare needs. 

This is a very interesting political and social development in our country.  Both by way of its meaning and also how it is popularly perceived by many urban and rural Zimbabweans.  Some of whom have actually joined social media to make their claims to whatever fortune they think he has in order to help with both deep or abstract social problems them may be facing. 

I will not mention names (tisataure mazita) but indeed a good number of local celebrities in the sporting, music and film entertainment circles have been recipients of his astounding 'generosity'. 

Officially I know of one legendary one who has stubbornly refused at least two offers while asking questions as to where the money is coming from.  

An issue that for now, is probably falling on the deaf ears of our now very national and populist ‘mbinga syndrome’.  

Almost as though we are all hymning in the back of our minds that again popular song from Marshall Munhumumwe and the Four Brothers, “Ane Mari Ndiye Mukuru’ (literal translation- he who has the money is the eldest). 

For those that are in mainstream media, civil society, opposition politics and social media influencers against corruption or shady relationships between the state and individuals, this should have been  relatively easy anti-corruption activity material.

Except that it has not been off the mark as anticipated. Neither will it be in the short term. 

When you have popular both historically and in the present sports, culture and journalistic celebrities gratefully receiving gifts in cash or ‘car’ kind from Chivayo, there is limited ground to gain counter narrative popular traction against it.  Mainly because it is a difficult task to challenge our new found Zimbabwean ‘Mbinga Syndrome’.

As argued above, a greater majority of Zimbabweans are not really seeking an understanding of the importance of societal equitability in the country as an ideal.  Let alone understand the massive national socio-economic inequalities that we are faced with in the contemporary and the foreseeable future.

We generally tend to have a perception that whoever has made their money, however they have made it, let them use it how they wish. Except where it relates to political partisanship and factions. 

Moreso if they are going to be somehow philanthropic by starting for example a football club that wins promotion to the national Premier league, or construct multiple boreholes or in the much more publicized Chivayo cases, help artists, musicians and others in their vehicular or other needs. While supporting one faction of either Zanu Pf or the CCC and whatever remains of it.  Things that the Mbingas themselves do not hide either side of the political divide. 

In our own non-partisan political instance we do not ask about the source of these individual’s incomes as much as we would even want to.  Either for fear of being excluded or for fear of being sued and in the last instance for a final lack of actual evidence of wealth related to corruption after acquittals of these individuals at the highest Zimbabwean court levels. And as usual criminal defamation charges that still subtly hang over us today.  

But our desire to receive gifts and generosity for one real or perceived problem is not limited to our celebrities only.  And besides given our dire economic circumstances, particularly for young and gendered Zimbabweans, there is no time to ask a religious pastor throwing around United States dollars in a street in Chitungwiza or Kwekwe where he got the money from.  

The pertinent and quite violent issue is to grab as much as you can while it is being thrown out of a moving vehicle while shouting ‘Mbinga Mbinga!’

So what we have now obtaining is a very complicated culture around wealth, access to it, and celebrity induced misunderstanding of how to get rich quick that can be recognized in one social media message by a ‘Mbinga’ to your favourite musician, footballer or any other person who either has national gravitas. Or has serious personal problems that social media users ask for help for.

Our political and economic realities however indicate that this is highly unsustainable.  It is an almost a live for the moment sort of situation.  Yes you can get a vehicle from the “Mbinga’.  Questions arise as to you did you even want it?  Or if you are allowed to sell it?  Or even get support to maintain it?

And before comrades accuse me of jealousy, vehicles are essentially just that. Especially if they are donations.  As are mansions that even if you build them, if you cannot maintain them, they became derelict former castles.

What I have however come to realize with most of us as Zimbabweans is that we tend to live in the moment.  Or in the materially immediate.  At highly individualized levels in which the only common thread is again our newfound high levels of individualism. 

And its easy for those that are linked to state resources, especially after the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) such as urban land barons, miners, "tenderpreneurs"and farmers can create competitive wealth in order to become the new ‘untouchables’.  As long as they have proximity to contemporary state power. 

So popularly, in both a political and economic sense, barring a major political change in Zimbabwe, the likes of Wicknell Chivayo will be revered as enablers of some sort of individual material progress for celebrities and other national figures.

But if you ask me whether we should fear them for their money?  My answer is an easy no.  We should fear them for their values and their cross generational individualistic impact.  As we are witnessing it in the ghettos and the peri-urban rural areas for now. And we should find ways and means to counter this even if at the moment it seems bleak. 

What I also do know is that in the culture and sports industry, if the state was more organic, our legends would not be as materially vulnerable as they are today.

*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com) takurazhangazha.com

.