Chivhayo Obatwa Achiba US$1.2million YeNyikaPolitical Reporter- Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivhayo has been implicated in defrauding the Zimbabwean state of US$1.2 million by charging exorbitant prices for an HP server that retails for approximately US$4,000.
Chivhayo, operating through his South African-based company, billed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) over US$1.2 million for an HP server that costs about US$4,000.This revelation comes amid a fallout between Chivhayo and his business partners, Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe.
Reports indicate that Chivhayo secured contracts worth up to US$40 million with ZEC ahead of the August 2023 general elections.
These contracts were for the provision of tents, electronic devices, biometric hardware and software, ink, and training, among other essentials.
Mpofu and Chimombe, who are demanding US$10 million in lost earnings from Chivhayo, have released incriminating information against him.
This includes details of a deal involving the South African firm, Ren-Form. According to The NewsHawks, ZEC initiated a procurement process in February 2023 and specifically selected Chivhayo and his partners to supply critical electoral materials.
Chivhayo, in collaboration with Chimombe and Mpofu, used Better Brands Security (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Scott Sakupwanya, to enter an agreement with Ren-Form CC on February 13, 2023, for participation in Zimbabwe’s election tenders.
It is alleged that Chivhayo, conspiring with Ren-Form officials, later altered the agreement to exclude his business partners, thus securing 66% of the payments for himself.
The agreed procedure was for Ren-Form to invoice and receive payments from ZEC, then transfer Better Brands’ share into a South African bank account.
This arrangement left Chimombe and Mpofu enraged.
Leaked documents and invoices reveal that the South African company provided ZEC with an HP Proliant DL380 Gen 10 server, invoiced at US$1,264,865.
However, the same server is priced at $4,695 on Amazon, indicating that Chivhayo overcharged ZEC by more than US$1,260,000.
