By Advent Shoko
Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has honoured his late friend and businessman Irvine Zakeyo Mereki with a remarkable gift to his family, a brand-new 2026 Ford Ranger Platinum valued at US$105,000 and US$100,000 in cash for Mereki’s mother.
In an emotional tribute, Chivayo described Mereki as a “dear brother and best friend” who believed in him when others judged him. “A FRIEND who saw POTENTIAL in me when I could not see it in myself,” he wrote. Chivayo recalled how Mereki taught him to recognise opportunities during Zimbabwe’s difficult economic years, particularly in fuel imports and motor-vehicle trading. He also remembered their long conversations about business, politics, economics and their shared dream of becoming young African billionaires.
The Mereki Name Remains Alive In Harare
For anyone familiar with Harare’s informal entertainment and braai culture, the Mereki name needs little introduction.
The popular Gotchi-Gotchi butcheries and braai spots associated with Mereki shopping centre became a familiar feature of Harare’s social scene. Businessman Darlington Dumba (who features in Jah Prayzah’s song Gotchi-Gotchi) played a key role in developing the Gotchi-Gotchi concept, working with braaing ladies and helping turn the distinctive dusty, outdoor, rural-style setting into a popular social experience before the concept expanded to other locations.
The Mereki family has also remained involved in the liquor business. This is a world I have encountered personally: I have seen Chivayo visiting the family’s establishment on several occasions, interacting with local youths and handing out cash to some of the boys, including one nicknamed Dude, a familiar face in that circle. That context matters because Chivayo’s tribute is not simply a social-media story involving people whose names happen to be connected to Harare nightlife. There is a visible history of relationships around the Mereki name.
A Gift For A Friend He Never Forgot
Chivayo said Mereki’s life was tragically cut short in 2013, just as he was reaching the peak of his entrepreneurial journey.
“My journey in business today has your FINGERPRINTS all over it,” Chivayo wrote, adding that he wished Mereki were alive to see how far he had come.
He therefore invited Mai Mereki to collect the fully paid Ford Ranger Platinum and US$100,000 in cash. He also pledged another US$100,000 to Mereki’s official wife, whether she is married or single and wherever she may be living in the diaspora.
The businessman ended his tribute with a deeply personal message: “Until we meet again CHAIRMAN, may your dear departed soul continue to rest in ETERNAL PEACE.”
For Chivayo, the gesture appears to be about more than wealth. It is a public acknowledgement of a man he credits with believing in him before the money, fame and controversy that would later define his own journey.
And perhaps that is why the tribute resonates beyond the value of the gifts.
Sometimes the biggest debt is not financial. It is remembering the person who believed in you before the world did.
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