Why dem love and hate Zimbabwe tycoon Wicknell Chivayo for Africa

Wicknell Chivayo, di Zimbabwean tycoon wey die for helicopter crash along wit im wife Lucy Muteke last week, divide opinion in life and continue to do so even as e don kpai.

E call imsef "Sir Wicknell", wey fit im lifestyle - and a nickname some pipo use for di 45-year-old wey pack enough controversy into im short life to last several lifetimes.

Im dey document im lifestyle, build much of im public persona on social media, wia e dey pose wit cash and announce di cars and money e give pipo wey e tok say dem deserve am.

E like to dey display im access to heads of state across Africa and showing off im possessions, dey conduct video tours of im fleet of expensive cars, mainly Rolls-Royces, wit vanity plates, watches and a vast collection of designer shoes.

Im admirers see rich man wey dey share im good fortune. Im detractors no dey like di display, and dem dey question di source of im money and im political connections, and dem see im lifestyle as stark illustration of inequality.

But di criticisms no shake Chivayo. As im fortunes rise, e continue to flaunt im wealth inside kontri wia nearly half of di population dey live below di international poverty line, according to di World Bank.

"E bin give to dose on an island of wealth in a sea of poverty," Pedzisai Ruhanya, director of di Zimbabwe Democracy Institute think-tank, tell di BBC, as e explain how im donations na mainly to influential pipo.

E dismiss Chivayo generosity as grandstanding for di ruling Zanu-PF party - an attempt to ensure di support of key politicians and even church leaders.

But pipo mourn am wen e kpai, especially pipo wey benefit from im money. Tributes also come from politicians, religious leaders and business figures.

Among di mourners wey gada for di Chivayo big mansion for di capital, Harare, ahead of im and im wife burial on Thursday, na Cleopas Mukungunugwa, wey be young and prominent Zanu-PF social media influencer and recipient of two luxury cars from Sir Wicknell.

Mukungunugwa stand outside di mansion wia massive poster of di couple dey displayed and tell local media say di death of im patron dey shock am. E explain how "Sir Wicknell" dey often tell am wetin e go write for im posts.

"Many pipo on social media criticise am and our goal na to boost im reputation as philanthropist," e tok.

Chivayo drop out of high school wen im bin dey 15 years becos im family no fit pay im fees afta im papa die wen im bin dey 10 years.

Im first job na wage clerk for bus company. From dia im move into im first independent hustle - to sell mobile phones and deal in foreign currency, many times for di black market wen im kontri bin dey face hyperinflation crisis.

For 2005, dem bin sentence am to five years in prison for money laundering wey involve 837,000 South African rand (wey bin worth $137,500, £72,000 dat time). Im bin serve three years for di Chikurubi Maximum Prison afta dem suspend two years.

Details of im career afta dem release am no dey too clear, but im bin enta di energy business, as im becom wetin one state-run newspaper describe as "tenderpreneur" -e dey make money by getting govment contracts.

Im bin head di firm Intratrek Zimbabwe, wey bin partner wit Chinese electrical giant CHiNT Electric. E bin happun for di time wen di law bin require all companies for di kontri to give economic control to black Zimbabweans, under one policy known as indigenisation.

For 2014, dem bin give Intratrek contract to build 100MW solar power station for di southern town of Gwanda. Di contract worth more dan $170m and dem bin sign am di following year. E becom one of di biggest controversies of Chivayo business career.

Zimbabwe Power Company, di state-owned utility wey bin award di contract, bin try to end am wen Intratrek bin fail to deliver, but di courts ultimately rule say di agreement still dey valid.

Parliamentary inquiry later describe Intratrek as "briefcase company" wey dem dey use to attract investment.

Chivayo bin acknowledge say Intratrek no be expert for solar construction, dem describe am as di local partner while CHiNT bin provide di technical muscle.

Intratrek bin receive advance of more dan $5m for di Gwanda solar plant, but dem no build am till today.

Just weeks bifor Chivayo die, Intratrek bin receive one govment notice to proceed wit di project and dem bin give dem 24 months to complete am.

As di accusations fly upandan, di businessman just smile, e use sweet-mouth tok im way through di wahala - e even win over President Emmerson Mnangagwa, wey bin no dey happy wit wetin im dey do wen im first came enta power.

For 2018, Mnangagwa cite Gwanda as lesson and di dangers of doing business wit "fly-by-night briefcase businessmen", e add say "Chikurubi is no dey full". Di state-run Herald newspaper bin report say di warning bin dey directed at Chivayo.

Yet within few years, dat relationship transform into bromance. For one of several photographs wey dey capture di remarkable informality between dem, Chivayo lounges, almost lying, ontop sofa beside Mnangagwa, e show say im bin entirely dey feel free for di president company.

Im access no dey confined to Zanu-PF - im also post photographs wit opposition figures, including di late Morgan Tsvangirai and Nelson Chamisa.

But e becom popular presence around Mnangagwa, speaking wit smile of di president and im support for Zanu-PF e no dey hide am.

Im bin face allegations ova buying of materials for di 2023 elections, wia Mnangagwa bin vote for im second term.

Investigations allege say South African supplier Ren-Form grossly bin increase di prices and subsequently pay hundreds of millions of rand to one company wey dey linked to am.

Chivayo deny wrongdoing, and Zimbabwe anti-corruption commission later tok say dem no find evidence wey dey link am to procurement fraud. Ren-Form deny any wrongdoing.

In April, im bin give di kontri 360 legislators $10,000 each, wey bin prompt accusations say im bin wan influence vote on controversial constitutional amendment to extend wetin for be Mnangagwa final five-year term by two years to 2030.

Dem force am to withdraw di offer afta backlash and e bin deny say dem intend to influence di vote.

Wen di legislation bin sign am into law several months later, Zanu-PF bin post video clip of am wit di caption: "Billionaire Sir Wicknell Chivayo celebrates… singing '2030 Ndeya Emmerson Baba!' while cruising at 51,000 feet aboard his Gulfstream G550".

Access to power becom part of Chivayo social-media persona. In June, Eswatini King Mswati III bin grant am citizenship of di southern African kingdom and diplomatic passport - photographs and videos show wia e bin dey kneel bifor di monarch.

Im bin get impressive camera roll, wit snaps of am wen e dey pose wit oda African presidents like Nigeria President Bola Tinubu, Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Malawi President Peter Mutharika, Mozambique President Daniel Chapo, Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema and im bin dey part of di delegation wey bin meet South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa wen im bin visit Mnangagwa farm earlier dis year.

Some relationships extended beyond formal meetings. In August, Chivayo and im wife attend di engagement of Kenyan President William Ruto daughter Charlene for di president family home.

But for Kenya dem bin view di Zimbabwean businessman wit great suspicion becos of im closeness to Ruto - sometin wey bin express loudly on social media since im death.

Many of di comments no dey good but as Kenyan blogger Cyprian Nyakundi put am, wia e list some of di controversies surrounding Chivayo: "As a Kenyan, I distance myself completely from President Ruto glowing tribute to Wicknell Chivayo. Those condolences and dat 'dear friend' language na im own, no be my own, as a Kenyan."

One commentator on X bin tok say di death bin "unit Africans in celebration".

"Wen a man passing brings more relief dan sorrow, di reaction itself tell a powerful story. Na time for those in power to reflect and reevaluate!"

Meanwhile some pipo dey against di pipo wey dey tok bad tins about di dead an e dey un-African - as di topic of di tycoon death still be trending topic for Zimbabwe dis days.

For shopping centre in Harare ova di weekend, Christabel Moyo voice wetin many pipo bin dey tok.

"Wetin be African - to make you rich from in state increasing state contracts and use di money to support Zanu-PF?" di 42-year-old accountant ask.

"Im bin dey busy dey give out cars and cash to di rich while di Zimbabwean public health system dey collapse."

Di extraordinary gifting spree wey dem go rememba am for start around 2023. Musicians, sports and business figures, politicians and religious leaders bin dey among di beneficiaries of cars and cash for wetin some dey see as blatant attempt to buy support for di ruling party.

Im bin started wit modest Toyota Aquas, but di gifts soon becom dramatically more expensive.

Dem bin give top musician Jah Prayzah, wey dey close to Zanu-PF three luxury cars, along wit about $400,000, ova three years.

Di musician bin postpone im wedding - wey suppose take place last weekend - becos of di helicopter crash, im say: "Wicknell na more dan a friend to us."

Anoda ogbonge pesin wey dis gifts na Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi, head of di Zion Christian Church wey dey veri loyal to Zanu-PF. Di cleric bin receive millions in cash donations and four luxury cars.

Chivayo regularly attend di Johane Masowe weChishanu African apostolic church, one of di biggest for Zimbabwe, wey dem dey see followers evritime dey worship outside wit white robes wey dem dey wear.

Di church also receive plenti cars, buses and cash from di businessman as im bin dey push di influential sect closer to di ruling party, e carry Mnangagwa along as guest of honour go one massive church gathering for August.