By Lifestyle Correspondent
Harare – Controversial businessman and tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo, in October 2023, took to X (formerly Twitter) and pledged a US$50,000 house for Zanu PF activist Chief Hwenje.
The grand promise was made with a flourish—bold words that seemed to authenticate Chivayo’s commitment to purchasing the house.
Before the house, he had also promised a luxury vehicle, and true to his word, the car was delivered a gleaming GD6.
Its engine roared with power, its polished body a symbol of status.
But the house?
Alas, that promise was never fulfilled.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, but no groundbreaking ceremony was held, no foundation was laid.
The Chief, initially basking in the euphoria of Sir Wicknell’s pledge, began to wait with growing unease.
Despite the social media fanfare surrounding his generosity, Sir Wicknell’s pledge of a US$50,000 house turned out to be nothing more than an empty promise.
While Chief Hwenje had already accepted the car with gratitude, behind his dignified smile lay the question that no one dared to voice aloud: where is the house?
Sir Wicknell, ever the master of spectacle, continues to bask in the limelight, showering social media with his controversial tales of philanthropy.
He offered US$100,000 to recover US$75,000 stolen from his in-laws.
But each post that celebrates his wealth and influence stands in bold contrast to the silent plot of land where a house was supposed to rise.
People are whispering now, not in admiration, but in doubt.
Had the businessman’s pledge been merely a performance to please his principal, President Emmerson Mnangagwa—a momentary display of largesse with no intention of fulfillment?
Months turned into a year, and still, the house never came.
The echoes of that grand promise are fading into silence, buried beneath the noise of new announcements and fresh pledges.
In the end, the GD6 remains the only tangible piece of that moment of hope—a reminder not just of what had been given, but of what had been withheld.
Our publication has it on good record that Chief Hwenje has been chased away from a rented apartment in an affluent flat along Josiah Tongogara in Harare.
He now seems destitute, retracing his roots to a homestead in Zvishavane.
When contacted, he only said: “Takadzingwa flat, saka takugara kumusha.”
Quizzed about the promised house from Sir Wicknell, he hung up his mobile phone.
Repeated efforts to get in touch with him were futile, as his mobile number went unanswered.
Sir Wicknell’s mobile number was also unreachable for comment.
