Flamboyant Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has announced luxury gifts worth hundreds of thousands of United States (US) dollars for two lawyers who have represented him over the years, while taking a swipe at opposition politician and lawyer Advocate Fadzayi Mahere.
Chivayo said he would give Wilson Manase, senior partner at Manase & Manase Legal Practitioners, a 2026 Lexus GX 550 valued at US$220,000, together with US$250,000 in cash.
Advocate Sylvester Hashiti, another lawyer associated with Chivayo, is set to receive a new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography and US$500,000 in cash.
The announcement was made in a lengthy social media post in which Chivayo described the gifts as recognition for relationships built over decades.
He also used the post to explain the professional relationship between himself, Manase, and Advocate Lewis Uriri SC, who has represented him in various legal matters.
“While I will always remain grateful for the professional legal services rendered to me over the years by Advocate Lewis Uriri SC, it is important to appreciate how the legal process works,” Chivayo said.
“An Advocate is ordinarily engaged through an instructing law firm,” he added, saying Uriri had, in most matters, been instructed through Manase & Manase.
Chivayo said Manase had originally introduced him to both Uriri and Hashiti and had remained a trusted adviser since the late 1990s.
He described Manase as more than his lawyer, calling him a “FATHER FIGURE, MENTOR, BROTHER, ADVISER and trusted confidant”.
“WE COME A VERY LONG WAY and i have known him literally since 1998, when I was still renting ONE ROOM in Hillside and trying to find my feet in life,” he said.
Lexus and Range Rover gifts
Chivayo said Manase would collect his Lexus GX 550 from a person identified as Victor the following Monday.
“For all those years of loyalty, professional service, mentorship and friendship, THE GIFT REMAINS THE SAME,” he said.
“Please go and see VICTOR on MONDAY next week and collect your 2026 LEXUS GX 550 valued at 220 thousand USD, fully paid for and ready for your collection.”
He added another US$250,000 in cash, describing it as “petty cash” for fuel and personal upkeep.
Chivayo then turned to Hashiti, saying he had previously bought him three cars.
“I know i have bought you 3 cars before but I checked and realised there’s no law that restricts wealthy clients from spoiling their lawyers again,” he wrote.
Chivayo then said Hashiti’s comments in a recent video about representing the President had impressed him enough to warrant another US$250,000.
“That phrase alone my dear brother is worth another 250 thousand USD cash,” he said, adding that he would arrange security and a cash-in-transit vehicle to escort Hashiti to his bank.
The total cash component announced for the two lawyers therefore comes to US$750,000, while the two vehicles were identified by Chivayo as a US$220,000 Lexus GX 550 and a Range Rover Sport Autobiography, whose value he did not state.
Mahere has previously called for changes in opposition leadership, including using the phrase “we need new leaders”.
Without naming her directly in the passage, Chivayo mocked that position while contrasting it with the government’s Vision 2030 slogan which he says now extends to 2040.
“I mean no disrespect to anyone asi chero TSIKOMBI iya ingaitewo kana 50 mu bank here iya ? HASHA dzese INHAMO ‘we need new leaders’ EVERYDAY isu tachinja slogan yave VISION 2040 taneta neku vhundutsirwa ne mapfumo emashanga isu ZVAKWANA,” he wrote.
The comments add another layer to Chivayo’s increasingly public commentary on Zimbabwe’s political and social affairs, although the main focus of his post was his relationship with the two lawyers.
Chivayo’s long-running relationships
Chivayo framed the gifts as a celebration of loyalty rather than simply payments for legal services.
“These two men are amazing and have supported me whole heartedly for decades from back in the days of poverty to where life has brought us today,” he said.
“Relationships built over that length of time, through different seasons of life and business surely deserve to be recognised and celebrated.”
He congratulated both lawyers and urged them to continue serving their clients and profession.
“THANK YOU you for the counsel, the mentorship, the friendship and above all for simply being there through the years,” Chivayo said.
“CONGRATULATIONS to you both and enjoy your 💰💲💸 and new cars…GOD BLESS.”
The announcement is likely to attract attention not only because of the extraordinary value of the gifts, but also because of Chivayo’s explanation of the decades-long relationships behind them and his decision to weave a political jab at Mahere into the same post.
Chivayo did not provide independent documentation in the statement confirming the purchase prices or delivery of the vehicles and cash gifts.
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