Free-spending businessman Wicknell Chivayo blew the competition out of the water during a glitzy charity fundraising dinner at State House on Friday night, snapping up President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s trademark scarf for an eye-popping $600,000.
Mnangagwa added theatre to the annual Angel of Hope Foundation’s Christmas Fundraising Dinner when he slipped the scarf off his shoulders and handed it to Chivayo, joking about a “peaceful transfer of power” as the room cheered. The president quickly got his aide to hand him another scarf which he donned.
The record-setting bid came barely 48 hours after Chivayo donated $1 million to his former primary school, Dudley Hall in Norton, to build two new dormitories to be named Emmerson Dambudzo House and Auxillia House in honour of the first couple.
Angel of Hope, founded by first lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, became the latest beneficiary of Chivayo’s headline-grabbing generosity.
In a room packed with some of Zimbabwe’s wealthiest business figures, bidding for the scarf began in the low thousands as Chivayo watched patiently, keeing his powder dry. Gold miner FS Mining looked set to secure the prized item at $250,000 before Chivayo entered the fray.
Just as the auctioneer prepared to close at Chivayo’s $450,000 bid, Collins Mnangagwa, the president’s twin son, cheekily raised the offer to $500,000, seemingly angling for more money for his mother’s charity.
Chivayo, who has made millions from state contracts, then slammed the hammer shut with a knockout $600,000 bid that could not be surpassed.
The latest display of financial firepower deepens Chivayo’s reputation for extravagant philanthropy — even as lingering questions persist over the true source of his wealth.
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