Wicknell Chivayo’s high-profile car-gifting campaign has taken another turn after musician Enzo Ishall sold a Mercedes-Benz GLE400 he received from the businessman for US$60,000, despite Chivayo saying he paid about US$145,000 for it.
The sale has brought the practical cost of owning expensive vehicles into sharp focus. For the recipient, the keys may arrive as a gift, but the bills for fuel, servicing, insurance, tyres and repairs remain. In Enzo’s case, Chivayo said the Zimdancehall musician found the vehicle too expensive to keep and needed money.
Chivayo said he learnt about the sale after a car dealer contacted him. The businessman was speaking on the Denny J Show when he described the episode and the questions he had been receiving about the vehicles he gives to public figures.
“People are calling me, you’re buying too many people cars. As soon as I get them they go and sell them at half the price,” Chivayo said.
He then gave his account of the sale.
“One car dealer called me and said, look, Enzo is selling the car you bought him. He wants US$60,000.”
The figures point to a US$85,000 gap between the reported purchase price and the amount sought from the dealer. Other accounts have placed the original price at about US$130,000, but the sale price remains the same: US$60,000.
Chivayo said he did not object to Enzo selling the vehicle because it had become the musician’s property. His disappointment centred on the price and on the fact that Enzo did not approach him before putting the car on the market.
The businessman said Enzo could have explained that the vehicle had become a financial burden. Chivayo suggested that, had the musician spoken to him, he might have helped him obtain a house instead.
The episode also revived the story of Jah Prayzah, another major beneficiary of Chivayo’s largesse. Chivayo said the musician had previously approached him about selling a gifted vehicle to raise money for a studio. On that occasion, Chivayo said he accepted the plan because Jah Prayzah was receiving a reasonable price and intended to put the proceeds into another productive asset.
The two cases now sit at opposite ends of the same gifting culture. One recipient wanted to convert a vehicle into an investment in his work. The other sold a high-value vehicle at a steep discount after finding its upkeep too costly.
Social media commentator Tadiwa Chipato captured the problem in a short statement: “Luxury cars aren’t gifts, they are bills.”
Another commentator, Nigel Makiyi, criticised the price at which Enzo was offering the vehicle.
“Enzo made a big mistake. He could have gone back to Victor and sold it there for a good price,” Makiyi said.
“Even if it was a gift, you can’t sell it for a price that is as low as US$60,000.”
Enzo’s sale is not the first time a vehicle linked to Chivayo’s public generosity has ended up damaged, difficult to keep or back in the spotlight for reasons other than celebration.
In August 2024, self-styled prophet Talent Madungwe crashed a Toyota Aqua gifted to him by Chivayo. The accident happened at about 10:20 on August 6 as Madungwe drove out of his rented home in Harare’s Hatfield suburb.
According to the account presented in court, Madungwe was attempting to turn right into a strip road beside Airport Road when the Toyota Aqua side-swiped a passing Nissan NP300 single cab. The collision caused minor damage to the Nissan’s loading box.
Madungwe was also driving without a valid licence. The 38-year-old appeared before the Epworth Magistrates’ Court facing counts connected to driving without a valid licence and negligent driving. The matter was remanded to October 9, 2024, for sentencing.
The crash brought an abrupt change to the public image of the Toyota Aqua, a vehicle that had arrived as a highly publicised gift. Instead of being shown as a symbol of favour, it became part of a road-traffic case involving a damaged vehicle and a driver without a licence.
Two months later, another Chivayo gift was involved in a crash. Daisy Mtukudzi, the widow of late music legend Oliver Mtukudzi, wrecked a 2024 Toyota Fortuner she had received from Chivayo about a week earlier.
The accident happened at the Warren Park roundabout in Harare. Images circulated showing serious damage to the left side of the white vehicle. Details of how the collision occurred were not immediately established, but the damage was visible and the timing was striking: the vehicle had only recently been handed over.
The Fortuner accident added another chapter to a gifting campaign that often unfolds in front of cameras and on social media. The handover of a new vehicle is public, immediate and carefully celebrated. The cost of repairing it after a collision is private, expensive and much less glamorous.
For comedian Freddy “Kapfupi” Manjalima, the issue took a different course. His first Chivayo-linked vehicle was involved in a December 2024 accident, leaving him without the car he had received. In May 2025, Kapfupi appealed for Chivayo to help him replace it.
Chivayo responded on June 1, 2025, promising another Toyota Aqua and money for both personal needs and insurance. In a message directed at the comedian, he said:
“My dear Mwanangu Kapfupi, I saw your message and I appreciate your humility in asking for help. A person who truly needs something will always find a way, and I believe there’s nothing wrong with your request. Some people may mock or criticize, but there are forces that don’t want to see good things come into our lives.”
Chivayo instructed Kapfupi to collect the replacement Aqua from Madzibaba Chipaga. He said the vehicle was valued at US$9,000 and promised US$3,000 in cash. US$2,000 was for Kapfupi’s personal use, while US$1,000 was set aside for comprehensive insurance.
The insurance condition was central to the replacement. Chivayo wanted the vehicle insured before it was collected, so that another accident would not leave Kapfupi without protection. He also said the registration book would be issued in Kapfupi’s name.
“Tomorrow, go to Madzibaba Chipaga and collect your new Aqua as you requested. You will also receive US$3,000 — US$2,000 for your personal needs, and US$1,000 to get comprehensive insurance, which typically costs around 5-10% of the car’s value. Since your car is valued at $9,000, the $1,000 will cover insurance for the entire year. You will be given the registration book in your name, and after paying for insurance and collecting the cover note, you can pick up your vehicle. I hope I’ve fulfilled your request because, during tough times, love and support matter most. Let’s continue to pray and stay united. Thank you, and enjoy your new car!”
The Kapfupi case showed how quickly a gift could become a demand for further support after an accident. It also highlighted the gap between receiving a car and protecting it. Registration, insurance and the ability to pay for repairs all determine whether the vehicle remains useful after the photographs have disappeared.
Chivayo has handed vehicles and cash to a long list of Zimbabwean musicians, sports personalities, religious figures and broadcasters. The beneficiaries have included Jah Prayzah, Alick Macheso, Killer T, Mai Charamba, former Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu and veteran broadcaster Reuben Barwe.
Peter Ndlovu received a BMW X6M reported to be worth about US$144,000. Jah Prayzah received a Mercedes-Benz S500 valued at about US$180,000 and later a 2025 Range Rover Autobiography together with US$150,000 in cash. Barwe received a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser and cash.
These handovers have made Chivayo one of the most visible celebrity benefactors in Zimbabwe. He has presented the gifts as recognition for people he admires, while the recipients have often accepted them in highly public ceremonies or online posts.
But the cases involving Enzo, Madungwe, Daisy and Kapfupi show what follows the presentation. A vehicle can be sold, crashed, repaired or replaced. Its market value can fall sharply, while its running costs remain high. A recipient whose income changes from month to month may own an expensive car but still struggle to keep it on the road.