By Nigel Pfunde
HARARE –INTERNATIONAL businessman and philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo, popularly known as Sir Wicknell, has publicly acknowledged the pivotal role played by veteran music manager Cuthbert Chiromo in reconciling him with his all-time favorite musician, Chimurenga music legend Thomas Mapfumo.
​To mark the reconciliation, Chivayo announced Saturday on social media that he has purchased a brand-new Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD6 and gifted $10 000 USD in cash to Chiromo as a token of appreciation for orchestrating the high-profile truce.
​Chiromo, who has served as Mapfumo’s long-time manager, successfully mediated between the business mogul and the US-based music icon following a period of perceived public tension. Chivayo explicitly credited Chiromo’s diplomatic efforts for bridging the supposed divide.
​”The effort you made in uniting me and my best singer of all time cannot go unnoticed,” Chivayo wrote, confirming that the vehicle and cash allocation have been fully paid for at a local car dealership.
​The breakthrough comes after months of supposed friction between Chivayo and Mapfumo, which escalated online after Mapfumo criticized Chivayo’s lavish car donations to various socialites and musicians, urging him instead to invest in sustainable national infrastructure like clinics and schools.
Chivayo employed ‘soft diplomacy’ and had respectfully fired back s at the time, but the long-standing manager’s intervention has officially brought an end to the perceived public feud.
​Using his characteristic social media flair, Chivayo warned critics that this high-value gesture is merely the beginning of a series of major moves, writing in a mix of English and vernacular (Shona) that these are just “warning shots” and promising that more major developments are “loading.”
​Chiromo is expected to collect the luxury vehicle and fuel allowance on Monday afternoon. Mapfumo has not yet issued a public statement regarding the mediation.
