Chivayo Death Will Hit ZANU PF Funding, Claims Activist Rutendo Matinyarare
HARARE — ZANU PF-aligned commentator Rutendo Matinyarare has claimed that the ruling party will face hurdles following the death of controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo, arguing that money used to oil the party machinery will no longer be available.
Matinyarare made the remarks in a video posted on X, in which he also dismissed claims that he had been silenced after receiving a car from Presidential advisor Paul Tungwarara and apologising to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
He said there had been nothing to analyse politically in recent weeks.”We saw the death of Wicknell Chivayo after I made a number of videos and posts warning Wicknell Chivayo that he was stepping on some very powerful people’s toes and that could be a risk for his life.
Wicknell didn’t listen, he made a number of videos and posts insulting me, saying I’m gay and all sorts of things. And at the end of the day, my word stands and Wicknell is gone,” Matinyarare said.
He claimed that with Chivayo now off the “chessboard”, things would change drastically because the businessman was perceived to be the party’s “bag man”.
“He was a man who made $11 billion from chicanery and fraud on the African continent that he was using to lubricate politicians to buy ZANU PF structures, to buy ZANU PF Chairpeople and to buy politicians and some actually also believe that he was buying judges to get them to make rulings that are going to make this change to the constitution or CAB3 or this act of the constitutional amendment three stand to ensure that the current president will get to 2030,” he said.
“Now that Wicknell is not there. Now that the bag to lubricate politicians, to lubricate ZANU PF structures, and to lubricate judges is no longer there, and to lubricate policeman and other security operators to actually enforce intimidation, things will be different,” he added.
Chivayo, who was known for his close links to the ruling party and for disbursing cars and cash to ZANU PF loyalists, musicians and influencers, died on September 30 when a Bell 430 helicopter he was travelling in crashed in Marondera.
There is no official evidence to support Matinyarare’s claims of $11 billion or of Chivayo funding constitutional amendments or bribing judges, and ZANU PF has not commented on the allegations.