ZEC's Murky Deals with Notorious Tenderpreneurs Exposed
Chimombe and Mpofu revealed that Chivayo and REN-Form allegedly inflated some of the prices by 235%
ZEC's Murky Deals with Notorious Tenderpreneurs Exposed
ZANU PF activist Mike Chimombe is crying foul after his SA partner and Wicknell Chivayo elbowed him from a US$40 Million ZEC deal.
South African company REN-Form got a US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) contract to supply biometric voter registration kits and other electoral materials during the August 2023 elections.
The entity then partnered with Better Brands Security, owned by Scott Sakupwanya, Mike Chimombe, and Moses Mpofu, for the tender. Better Brands also roped in Wicknell Chivayo on the deal.
Better Brands and REN-Form agreed that neither would engage a third party in the deal. However, things quickly went south without Better Brands’ knowledge.
The company, through Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, wrote a fiery letter to REN-Form, complaining that the partner had booted them out of the lucrative deal:
“After we signed the contract under Better Brands, you conspired with one of our partners in the project, Mr Wicknell Chivayo, and unilaterally changed the contract to his company, Intratek. Our agreement stated that you would pay our agreed commission into the FNB account for Better Brands. However, for reasons known to you, you decided to cancel our agreement without the consent of both parties. The cancellation of that agreement was fraudulently done.”
After supplying material for the 2023 elections, REN-Form has been receiving payments from the Government. Better Brands even has proof of the payments.
ZEC's Murky Deals with Notorious Tenderpreneurs Exposed
Chimombe and Mpofu revealed that Wicknell Chivayo and REN-Form allegedly inflated some of the prices and are fleecing the Government:
“For example, we are in possession of the initial quotation dated the 20th of February 2023, valued at US$2,673,360.00 with quotation no. Q20022023_211. Additionally, we have the subsequent quotation that you sent to ZEC, with the value inflated to US$8,964,603.80, which is approximately a 235% increment.
“We are aware that as soon as funds are received into your Standard Bank account number 002742659 held at Southdale Branch, you immediately transfer more than 66% of the money received to Wicknell Chivayo’s Intratek bank accounts.
“This is clear evidence of your participation in money laundering, where you are overcharging the Government of Zimbabwe and sending the overcharged money to individual accounts. This is in violation of South African laws and international laws.”
Chimombe and Mpofu added that Wicknell is allegedly using some of the money to buy people cars since last year:
“Of interest, please note that Mr Wicknell Chivayo is misleading you by claiming that he is giving top government officials of Zimbabwe part of the payment he is receiving. That is a total lie; even the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe is unaware that he is getting huge commissions using his name. This money has driven him crazy, and that’s why, if you check his social media, he is on a buying spree of cars, donating to different individuals across the country, yet he is failing to pay us what we agreed.”
Better Brands demanded 25% of all the money paid to Wicknell. The company also demanded a meeting with REN-Form and Wicknell to solve the impasse.
