Chivayo didn't drink our blood or steal our goat

Wicknell Chivayo’s controversial life, wealth and political connections have sparked debate following his death. [Courtesy]

In traditional African society as we know it, celebrating someone’s death isn’t only taboo but a distasteful abomination of unimaginable proportions.

It is often said you can hate a man and condemn his deeds but when he dies, you must take off your gloves because there’s no glory in punching a man who can no longer punch back. That’s why seeing fellow Kenyans and other Africans take to social media to clap at the death of Zimbabwean billionaire Wicknell Chivayo has revealed something deeply un-African.

Mr Chivayo, 43, died on Wednesday when the private helicopter carrying him, his wife Lucy Muteke and other passengers crashed in the Marondera area near Harare as he returned from his village. I have watched X Spaces hosted by Zimbabweans and other broadcast shows where the hosts, listeners and contributors seem elated at the businessman’s death. They claim the man was a symbol of everything they resented. They called him a wheeler-dealer, a serpent and a wicked young man.

But why would anyone celebrate Mr Chivayo’s death? There are two theories. One, he was filthy rich and questions about the sources of his wealth have long followed him. Two, the young business guru hobnobbed with the continent’s high and mighty, which, to tell the truth, is not in itself illegal.

Since his demise, photos of the billionaire visiting several presidents have almost broken the internet. The man visited President William Ruto at various venues in Kenya, including Narok County and State House, Nairobi. He even rode in Dr Ruto’s car. The president has since described him as a dear friend.

The businessman was also associated with Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu, Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera and Peter Mutharika, Mozambique’s Daniel Chapo and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa (the crocodile), who once loathed him but later embraced him. It’s speculated that Mr Chivayo’s encounters with these leaders involved business deals rather than mere courtesy calls. But speculation isn’t evidence.

Turning to his actual wealth, Sir Wicknell never published an independently verified balance sheet. He described himself as worth more than US$100 million. Philanthropy was his thing. In the roughly 12 months before his death, estimates put his publicly announced donations and luxury gifts at more than US$9.3 million. The spending covered cars, cash, football, churches, security services and other causes. The man also pledged US$1 million towards repatriation of Zimbabweans facing xenophobia in South Africa.

To every African out there celebrating Mr Chivayo’s death, stop your convenient amnesia. The way I see it, your scorn is pretence dressed up in a Sunday suit. When our tribesmen and women in high office loot public resources and share with us, we praise them and revel in the moment. When a rich man is not our family or kinsman and we can’t get direct benefits from his wealth, we wag a finger.

In Kenya, being a wheeler-dealer is heroism. How many corrupt persons have we elected into office or gifted with important State positions? How many have been charged then quickly acquitted? Also, we drill our young men and women to be shrewd money-hunters. So why should Mr Chivayo be treated as a thief who drank our blood and stole our goat? He simply broke a ceiling!

Sir Wicknell should be remembered for something beyond his overweight, the cars, cash and flamboyance. He showed that a ‘hustler’ could enter the room of Africa’s political aristocracy without needing a ballot paper or a government title. He gave our mighty politicians a run for their money, quite literally, and did so with an audacity that was impossible to ignore.

Similarly, there was something about the late youthful businessman that you simply can’t take away. He understood that in Africa, money opens doors but swagger makes people notice who walked through them. You can debate where the money came from and roll your eyes at him, but you can’t deny the fact that he had the nerve to make Africa’s political rich look meek before him. That, to me, was a big deal.

-The writer is a communications practitioner. X:@markoloo