Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo rose from humble beginnings to become a prominent billionaire with interests in energy and infrastructure. His journey began in Zimbabwe, where he grew up in Gandami, Chikomba, and worked as a wages clerk at a bus company after leaving school in 1996. In a 2016 interview, Chivayo said his father’s death in a car accident when he was 10 changed the course of his life, leaving him as the only son and creating an early responsibility to support his mother and siblings. As a young entrepreneur, he began trading cellphones and SIM cards from a small office at Ximex Mall in Harare between 1998 and 2000, describing the period as the starting point of his business career. His career later included government contracts and political connections, where he became publicly associated with the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) and President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He said he built Intratrek Zimbabwe into an energy and infrastructure company through tenders for major projects including the 100MW Gwanda solar power plant, the 30MW Gairezi hydroelectric project and the 100MW Munyati thermal power plant. As his public profile grew around his lavish spending, luxury cars, fashion and social media posts, Chivayo also gained attention for his philanthropy and support for sport, including financial gifts to Zimbabwe’s national football team and pledges tied to its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaigns. His wealth and lifestyle drew controversy over the years, while he also faced legal proceedings, including a 2004 conviction for theft by false pretences and subsequent fraud and money-laundering cases in which he was later acquitted or had charges dismissed.Chivayo rejected allegations that his wealth came from illegal deals, saying his entrepreneurial path began at a young age and that he had made mistakes, recovered from them and continued building his business interests.He became a familiar figure in Kenya due to his highly publicised relationship with President William Ruto, whom he described as a friend. Earlier this year, reports alleged that his company, IMC Construction Kenya, had been included in a Chinese-led consortium involved in the proposed Ksh376.42 billion ($2.9 billion) expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), claims that the government denied.Chivayo further developed relationships with political leaders across Africa, including Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mozambique’s Daniel Chapo, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu, Malawi’s Peter Mutharika, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Eswatini’s King Mswati III.His decades-long career came to an abrupt end after he, his wife Lucy Muteke and four others were killed in a helicopter crash at Kudenga Farm in Marondera, Zimbabwe, on Wednesday, September 30.
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