Controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo has attempted to sidestep restrictions imposed by Zimbabwe Newspapers Group after the media company blocked luxury vehicle gifts intended for two Capitalk FM employees.
The dispute follows Chivayo’s May 5 visit to the radio station, where he distributed cash gifts to staff and pledged vehicles to selected employees after appearing for an interview.
According to Chivayo, he offered US$1,000 each to 30 workers in the station’s radio division and handed the money to Capitalk FM general manager Comfort Mbofana for distribution.
He also promised broadcaster Phathisani Sibanda a 2025 Toyota Fortuner GD6 worth over US$65 000, while another female employee was offered a Toyota Aqua.
However, the gifts immediately sparked controversy after Zimpapers enforced its internal policy limiting employee gifts to a maximum value of US$100.
Under the policy introduced in 2024, staff members may only retain gifts below that threshold unless formally approved and declared to the company.
As a result, employees were reportedly allowed to keep only US$100 each, while the remaining US$27,000 was ordered to be returned.
Sibanda was also reportedly instructed to reject the luxury vehicle offer or resign from the company.
In response, Chivayo took to X, criticising what he described as excessive bureaucracy and arguing that media workers deserved recognition for their work.
He then proposed an alternative arrangement involving a vehicle dealer identified as “Madzibaba Chipaga of Enterprise Car Sales.”
Under the plan, Sibanda would reportedly purchase the new Toyota Fortuner for just US$100, while the second employee would acquire the Toyota Aqua for US$50.
Chivayo framed the arrangement as a legal private sale rather than a direct gift, arguing that asset owners are free to dispose of property at whatever price they choose.
The workaround effectively allows the employees to obtain the vehicles at token prices while avoiding a formal transfer directly from Chivayo.
The businessman has now gone even further, hinting at the possibility of an additional heavily discounted property deal for Sibanda.
In another post shared on X on May 14, Chivayo suggested that Sibanda could potentially acquire a house in Waterfalls for just US$80 despite the property allegedly being worth around US$150,000.
In the post, Chivayo congratulated Sibanda and claimed that associating with him in Harare could open the door to “great deals.”
He further alleged that someone had contacted him offering to sell a house in Waterfalls for US$80 and encouraged Sibanda to quickly raise the cash so he could facilitate the arrangement.
The remarks immediately generated widespread reaction online, with critics arguing the proposals undermined the spirit of the Zimpapers ethics policy despite technically being framed as commercial transactions.
Chivayo also said his lawyer, Sikhumbuzo Mpofu, would collect the US$27,000 being returned to him.
In a sarcastic comment, he joked that Mpofu might need the money more than he did to fuel a recently gifted Range Rover Autobiography.
Despite the latest developments, a Zimpapers executive reportedly insisted the company’s position had not changed.
The controversy has intensified debate around ethics, influence and financial relationships between wealthy public figures and Zimbabwe’s media industry.
The gifts policy itself was reportedly introduced after Chivayo previously gifted Sibanda a Toyota Aqua in 2024 while the broadcaster was still working as an independent contractor.
Since becoming a full-time employee earlier this year, Sibanda has fallen fully under the company’s ethics framework.
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