By Dorrothy Moyo – Gwanda, 11 May 2025

In what residents are calling a “Wicknell Chivayo-inspired spending spree,” the Municipality of Gwanda has come under fire for floating a tender to procure six top-of-the-range vehicles for senior management—despite a backdrop of collapsing service delivery, unpaid salaries, and dire infrastructure decay.

The proposed fleet includes luxury models such as two Toyota Fortuner 4×4 SUVs and a Toyota Hilux GD6, raising alarm among residents who likened the council’s priorities to those of controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo, known for flaunting designer cars while public institutions crumble.

Luxury First, Services Last

According to the recent public tender notice, Gwanda Municipality plans to acquire a minibus, two single-cab utility vehicles, and three high-end models for top officials. The Gwanda Progressive Residents Association (GPRA) has described the move as a gross misallocation of resources that starkly contrasts the town’s daily realities.

“Gwanda has no working sewage treatment plant. The dumpsite is in a residential zone. There’s no functioning ambulance. Staff haven’t been paid. But the council wants Fortuners?” questioned GPRA chairperson Collet Moyo in a strongly worded letter to the Town Clerk, Ms Priscillar Nkala.

“This is Chivayo economics,” he added. “Luxury for the powerful while the town rots.”

Council Defends Purchases

Town Clerk Ms Nkala defended the procurement, stating that the council followed all formal procedures, including acquiring Cabinet Authority that outlines specifications for government vehicle purchases.

“These are not luxury items,” she said. “They are management tools. The vehicles will be procured in phases, depending on available funds. Conditions of service entitle some staff to official vehicles, and that standard cannot be lowered because of public perception.”

But her explanations have done little to calm outrage.

Residents Say They’re Tired of Excuses

GPRA secretary-general Methuseli Moyo said residents are tired of being told to wait while flashy acquisitions are made at their expense.

“It’s been seven years without a working sewage plant. Street lights are dead. The dumpsite is hazardous. And now we’re told that Fortuners are a service delivery tool?” Moyo said. “Let’s float tenders for restoring basic amenities first, not pampering executives.”

A Growing National Pattern

This controversy is part of a broader trend that many are calling the “Chivayo Culture”—a reference to Wicknell Chivayo’s habit of spending lavishly on luxury cars and rewarding public praise with expensive gifts. While Chivayo is currently under investigation by South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Unit over suspicious transactions, Zimbabwean authorities have remained silent on his local dealings.

Critics argue that public institutions have begun emulating the same ethos: indulgence at the top, and neglect for everyone else.

Symbol of Broken Priorities

With Gwanda’s residents struggling to access clean water, reliable healthcare, and safe streets, the tendering of high-end vehicles has become a symbol of misplaced governance priorities.

“Service delivery is not measured in Fortuners,” said one Gwanda resident on social media. “It’s measured in working toilets, clean streets, and paid workers.”

As pressure mounts, civil society groups are calling for the immediate suspension of the vehicle tender and an emergency audit of council priorities.

“We’re not saying don’t buy cars,” concluded GPRA’s Collet Moyo. “We’re saying: fix the sewage first.”