By Nigel Pfunde
Harare- PROMINENT international businessman and philanthropist Wicknel Chivayo is set to cement his regional expansion strategy with the imminent acquisition of a ZIG 214 million office park in the upmarket Rivonia district of Sandton, South Africa, Express Mail Zim can report.
The property, which is valued at 100 million South African Rand (approximately US$8 million), will serve as the regional headquarters for Chivayo’s sprawling business operations. The imminent development will mark a major move for the Chitungwiza bred entrepreneur, who has been diversifying his interests across energy, construction and information technology sectors.
Chivayo confirmed the transaction in a candid social media response on Saturday to fickle activist Rutendo Matinyarare, who had downplayed his achievements and name dropped Sars in his latest acquisition of a Cape Town property.
In his candid rebuttal, Chivayo described Matinyarare as “excitable” after he got a US$200 000 ‘pacification fee’ and detailed the scale of his investment.
“I am buying an OFFICE PARK in Rivonia for 100 million rand where I will house my REGIONAL HQ for my companies and another for 30 million rand as my private office. I have no reason to misrepresent the TOTAL amount I spent on buying properties as its my daily bread. It is only the GROSS IGNORANCE of people like you who have never owned a house in CPT or anywhere else in your life, that causes you to DISBELIEVE everything and come up with NONSENSICAL theories,” Chivayo wrote.
The Rivonia node is widely regarded as a prime corporate and financial hub, offering proximity to multinational corporations and high-value deal-flow.
A Mauritius-based Zimbabwean commodity broker, speaking on condition of anonymity, spoke on the strategic nature of the move:
“Rivonia is a place exactly where a serious businessman would put a ‘market office’ if you want proximity to money, multinationals, and deal flow,” he said.
Chivayo’s latest acquisition places him among a growing cadre of local businessmen who have successfully broken through the regional space, establishing tangible assets and operational bases beyond Zimbabwe’s borders. His growing portfolio shows a trend of Zimbabwean capital seeking strategic footholds in the wider Southern African economy.
