Tendai Ruben Mbofana
The death of controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo in a helicopter crash two days ago was as tragic as it was instructive.
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The chopper crashed into a field about 40 minutes after Chivayo, his wife, her aide, and two pilots departed his rural home, killing all on board.
This was a figure who had hogged Zimbabwe news headlines and polarized the country through his flashy, lavish lifestyle.
Calling himself “Sir Wicknell,” he was not shy parading his fleet of brand-new, hyper-expensive luxury cars, as well as magnificent mansions both in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He also happily showed off his Gulfstream private jets, besides owning the very helicopter that eventually took his life.
But he became even more controversial with his seemingly unending gifting of luxury cars and huge sums of cash to various influential public figures in Zimbabwe.
These included musicians and political loyalists.
More tellingly, however, were Christian church leaders from various denominations.
These included leaders from his own apostolic sect—such as Mutumwa Nimrod Taguta and Madzibaba Johanne Tasiriro—whom he showered with luxury SUVs, Ford Rangers, and hundreds of thousands in cash.
Outside his church, we also saw him gift a million dollars in cash to self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ Emmanuel Makandiwa.
He later returned to present him and his wife, Ruth, with a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and a 2026 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 for their anniversary.
In fact, only a few days before his fatal accident, Chivayo was pictured sharing a private dinner with the Makandiwas.
Interestingly, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was not to be left out, pledging $2 million to Makandiwa’s UFIC church.
Chivayo did not stop there.
He repeatedly showered ZCC’s Nehemiah Mutendi with fleet upgrades, including a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a Maybach, a Range Rover, and Land Cruisers for Mutendi’s wife.
On top of these vehicles, he added a US$2 million Easter donation alongside millions more in operational cash.
His patronage also extended to Prophet Uebert Angel of Spirit Embassy and his wife, Beverly.
Chivayo gifted them a fleet of luxury cars, including two Rolls-Royces and a customized G-Wagon.
To top it off, he handed Angel a US$250,000 cash gift, which Chivayo publicly dismissed as simple “birthday lunch money.”
I could go on and on, but there is a clear pattern here.
Chivayo was intent on buying the loyalty of church leaders.
But why would he do that?
It all boils down to the legitimacy of the source of his tremendous wealth, which was shrouded in controversy.
His wealth stemmed from deeply controversial deals, starting with an unfulfilled Gwanda Solar project that took a US$5 million advance.
Then came a massive R800 million deposit from South Africa’s Ren-Form CC following Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections. South African authorities quickly flagged that transfer as illicit financial flows.
As such, it is widely believed these gifts were anything but philanthropic.
Besides, what is so philanthropic about gifting luxury supercars to wealthy public figures?
Real philanthropy is dedicated to uplifting the vulnerable: funding rural clinics, building public schools, feeding orphans, and providing clean water to impoverished communities.
So what was the real objective?
It was to buy loyalty, sanitize his image, and manufacture public support for the presidency.
By bankrolling these influential religious figures, he ensured they would not speak out against state misrule, rampant corruption, and the people’s suffering.
Instead, they galvanized their congregations to support the leadership under the deceitful pretext that the presidency was divinely appointed and that criticism was a sin against God.
Yet corruption is possibly one of the most devastating sins of all.
It kills people daily as public hospitals lack basic medication and lifesaving equipment.
It kills people when emergency services are unavailable due to severe underfunding.
This is a grim reality Chivayo himself may have realized too late as his helicopter went down and burned without immediate emergency intervention.
Who can forget the theatrics of Chivayo bringing the president to apostolic gatherings where church leaders showered him with prayers, promising divine favor?
In all this, Chivayo positioned himself as the divine conduit.
In fact, he grew so comfortable in the illusion of divinity crafted by these charlatans that he came to view himself as a deity.
He even began calling himself Mukuru we Mazuva—the Ancient of Days—a sacred title reserved solely for God Himself.
But church leaders are not God.
The Almighty God, Jehovah, cannot be bribed and is entirely incorruptible.
You can bribe self-styled servants and prophets all you want, and they can proclaim blessings over your life until their voices fade, but God remains unmoved.
As our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ warned, many will say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?” only to be told, “I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.”
This is the ultimate lesson Chivayo failed to grasp.
His so-called ‘prophets’ could not even warn him against boarding that helicopter on that fateful afternoon, for Jehovah never spoke to them.
Most importantly, under the New Covenant, believers do not need ‘men of God’—no matter how genuine—to receive His favor.
We can approach the throne of grace boldly on our own, having only one High Priest and Mediator. That is Christ Jesus.
This must serve as a stark cautionary tale to all who believe they can plunder the livelihoods of God’s children and buy divine favor through spiritual gatekeepers.
True favor cannot be bought through a proxy.
It requires genuine repentance, confession, and turning away from wickedness.
You simply cannot bribe your way out of sin.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +263715667700 or mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com