Finance and Economic Development Secretary George Guvamatanga was last week forced to pay controversial businessman Wicknell Chivhayo USD$7 million amidst allegations that the state coffers were running dry by tenderprenuers.
Having resisted paying Chivhayo for almost a month, Guvamatanga succumbed to political pressure to pay the maverick businessman who is using his connections to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to bulldoze through his wishes.
According to sources in the treasury, Chivhayo used “higher authority” to get his money although treasury had indicated that it was running dry.
“The problem with Chivhayo he wants his cash paid in US dollar. He doesn’t want to be paid in our local currency and this has affected the national purse. Unlike the previous tenderprenuers like Kudakwashe Tagwirei who were comfortable to be paid even using treasury bills or local currency,” said a source in the ministry of Finance.
Initially, according to sources, Chivhayo is owed more than USD $27 million and he wanted the state to settle everything at once. But Guvamatanga has been reluctant to settle,” another source said.
Chivhayo is currently under fire for name-dropping in the controversial Zimbabwe Electoral Commission tender scandal.
“Chivhayo has been abusing his relationship with the President to an extent that he uses it to bulldoze through the treasury to get payments for all his tenders,” said a source.
“He has been telling all government employees that he was acting on behalf of the President and the sad part is that his payments should be made upfront. This has been draining the national purse,” the source said
Chivhayo is under fire for allegedly boasting that he had leverage over Mnangagwa due to his proximity and would secure more business from the government.
Through deceptive means, Chivhayo has been pressuring treasury for advance payment for a military tender he won.
Sources said he also has his hand in the department of immigration among other state entities.
Chivhayo is heard on audios, which were apparently sent in January this year to a closed WhatsApp group he opened with his now estranged business partners Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, claiming to have made several payments to senior government officials to land a supply contract with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The businessman last week denied that the voice on the audios was his but went on to apologise to Mnangagwa, his wife, CIO Director General Isaac Moyo, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya and ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba for the “adverse impression” that has been created that “these authorities are involved in corruption or participate in illicit transactions.
