Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo has pledged a Toyota Aqua and US$20,000 in cash to Victor Kazembe, the diver celebrated for retrieving three bodies from a sewer-filled excavation in Budiriro earlier this week.
The reward follows widespread public praise for Kazembe, popularly known as Coach Rambo, after he repeatedly entered a sludge-filled pit to recover the victims during a rescue operation that stretched into the early hours of Monday morning.
Announcing the donation on Facebook, Chivayo said he had taken time to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident before deciding to honour Kazembe.
“I’ve heard your cries, although I don’t like people who run ahead of me,” Chivayo wrote after receiving numerous requests from followers urging him to recognise the diver’s actions.
He said he was particularly moved after hearing Kazembe explain why he chose to enter the hazardous pit.
“When I heard him speak about the spirits of the dead, I didn’t even end up watching the rest of the video,” Chivayo wrote.
Chivayo instructed Kazembe to collect the vehicle and cash from Harare car dealer Madzibaba Chipaga on Saturday morning.
Congratulating the diver, he described his actions as an example of courage, patriotism and compassion.
Kazembe has been widely praised for recovering the bodies of two men and a woman from a muddy sewer pond in Budiriro 3 after emergency services struggled to reach the victims.
Reflecting on the ordeal, the diver said entering such conditions was extremely dangerous.
“What I did, wading into a mud pool, is not recommended because you can’t even swim in that,” Kazembe said.
“What I did is a sacrifice so that the spirit of these people may rest in peace.”
The tragedy unfolded after residents raised the alarm on Sunday evening when 19-year-old Saul Karakadzai reportedly fell into the pit while walking home with a friend from nearby shops.
According to residents, the excavation had remained open for months after sewer repair works began in February. Locals said the City of Harare had failed to fence off or secure the site despite it being filled with water, mud and raw sewage.
The danger was reportedly worsened after a nearby road closure forced pedestrians to use a shortcut passing close to the excavation.
Firefighters, police officers and divers were called to the scene. The first body recovered was that of a woman, followed by another man. Karakadzai’s remains were only located during a third search effort.
Witnesses described frantic but unsuccessful attempts to save the teenager.
One resident said rescuers were unable to enter the trench because of the thick sewer sludge, while efforts to reach him using a tree branch also failed.
Kazembe eventually recovered all three bodies, with the final victim brought out at around 3AM on Monday.
The deaths have sparked public anger, with residents blaming the local authority for leaving a hazardous excavation exposed in a residential area.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume has since ordered an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Chivayo’s latest donation adds to a long list of high-profile gifts he has made in recent years to musicians, sports organisations, journalists, security services and other beneficiaries.
The businessman, founder of Intratrek Zimbabwe, remains one of Zimbabwe’s most polarising public figures due to his involvement in major government contracts and past legal controversies.
Despite that reputation, some of his strongest public support has come when he has rewarded ordinary Zimbabweans for acts of bravery or community service, as many believe he has done in Kazembe’s case.
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