By Advent Shoko
Harare – Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo has responded point by point to criticism from Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira over the stalled 30MW Gairezi Hydro Power Project. In a detailed statement, Chivayo thanked the MP for representing constituents’ concerns, but stressed the tender was never awarded to him personally. Chivayo wrote:
“The tender for the Gairezi 30MW Hydro Project was awarded to a consortium led by an Indian government-owned engineering conglomerate, BHEL, working together with Angelique International Ltd, while Intratrek Zimbabwe participated as their local contractor.”
“Like many local contractors across Africa, Intratrek rides on the credibility, bankability, and technical capacity of international partners to achieve project delivery. It was this credibility that made the consortium competitive and awarded the tender as the lowest compliant bidder to specification.”
He explained that financial challenges, not lack of will or capability, stalled the project. Chivayo added:
“The fundamental issue that prevented implementation was challenges in achieving financial closure. The project cost was USD 113 million for 30MW, which made the business case extremely difficult to finance when tested against the lenders’ requirements of return on investment, yield, asset return, plant load factor, and overall bankability.”
Chivayo detailed the complex requirements contractors face before disbursement, including Letters of Credit, advance payment guarantees, performance guarantees, supplier confirmations, and technical milestones such as factory acceptance tests abroad. He said:
“As contractors, we even incur substantial upfront costs during the bidding process, including international travel to OEMs before final tender submission. If anything, contractors also get disappointed when projects stall, because we invest real money and expect a return through fair margins.”
He added that government priorities shifted toward high-yield projects such as Hwange Units 7 & 8, producing 600MW after completion. This, he explained, led to the Gairezi project and others being held in abeyance. Chivayo concluded, urging the public and commentators to avoid speculation about alleged payments. He said:
“I respectfully acknowledge your concerns, and I look forward to the project being revisited by government with the most ideal funding structure considered for its development,”
While Chivayo frames the Gairezi Hydro Project delay as a financing issue, closer scrutiny reveals a deeper problem. Winning the tender as the “lowest compliant bidder” does not automatically guarantee delivery. If the project was unprofitable or financially risky, this should have been known and accounted for in the bid, not discovered later through lenders’ reluctance.
Zimbabwe’s Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act (PPDPA) of 2017 mandates that tenders be awarded transparently, fairly, and competitively, with oversight from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ). Past Chivayo-linked projects, notably the US$183 million Gwanda Solar Project, have drawn parliamentary and civil society criticism for irregularities, inadequate vetting of technical and financial capacity, and governance gaps, which contributed to stalled delivery and loss of value for money.
Critics also note that recent procurement amendments risk weakening transparency, potentially allowing politically connected contractors to bypass competitive safeguards. Chivayo’s defense does little to explain why state projects repeatedly stall, timelines remain unclear, and delivery fails, raising urgent questions about accountability, enforcement, and whether public funds in Zimbabwe genuinely produce infrastructure, services, or employment, rather than stalled promises and lost public trust.
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