Chivayo: I ate chicken in prison, left in a BMW

I was rich before I went to prison … Wicknell Chivayo

Chivayo, who was jailed for money laundering between 2005 and 2007, said he went to prison when he was already a millionaire and staged a grand exit from prison on a flashy Mercedes Benz.

He was being interviewed about his life experiences by a local radio station.

“Prison was a good experience, because I realised that I wanted to be successful in my life but I never ever wanted to go to prison again,” Chivayo said.

“Prison taught me to be patient when you just watch the clock ticking, doing nothing that really teaches you to be a good person…”

The football sponsor said he acquired some of his business knowledge that has made him successful today when he was inside prison walls.

“You get different types of people in prison; you have somebody with a PhD in prison, you have somebody who was a university lecturer who is serving a rape sentence, you have somebody who was a tax consultant, who was working for a bank so there are always teachers in prison.

“So, you just do business studies you get modules coming in, people learn modules from UNISA and what as to this subject.

“You also have your class that you are teaching even if its Grade one or Form one or Form 4 or whatever, it is because all of you are trying to kill time. There were a lot of people there that were just educated that I was quite close to and used to share books including the terrorist Simon Mann.”

Chivayo said he rose to his current glory through selling cell phones and later cutting deals with the Asians after winning local tenders, adding that he had no worries when he walked out of prison gates.

“The way I went to prison was quite different; I went to prison as a millionaire; so it’s not like I was stressing.

“I wasn’t stressed about what was going to happen when I leave; I mean the day I left my BMW 745 was waiting for me outside. It was the latest shape, I had an X5 and I had three cars the day I left prison, I had houses in Borrowdale.

“My prison time was like house arrest. I never used to eat food from the prison. I had my mother driving, and drivers sending food every single day. Not one single day did I touch food from prison. I used to eat chicken, I used to eat spaghetti, I used to have shower gel.”