One person has died after a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 ZX gifted by businessman Wicknell Chivayo to the family of the late Archbishop Paul Mwazha was involved in a head-on collision along the Harare–Masvingo Highway.
The crash happened on the evening of September 25, 2026, a few kilometres past Featherstone, near the 58-kilometre peg, as the Land Cruiser was travelling towards Harare.
Witnesses said the luxury vehicle tried to overtake another car before colliding with a cattle-drawn scotch cart. The man leading the cart died at the scene. The cart was reportedly carrying someone who was being taken to hospital.
Ngoni Mwazha, the late church leader’s son and the owner of the vehicle, was reportedly inside the Land Cruiser when the accident happened. He sustained serious injuries and was taken for medical attention.
The crash has drawn attention because of the vehicle’s unusual history. It was presented to Archbishop Mwazha in October 2025 as part of an extravagant 107th birthday gift from Chivayo, a businessman known for giving expensive cars and cash to church leaders, entertainers and other public figures.
The gift consisted of a brand-new white Toyota Land Cruiser 300 ZX and US$107,000 in cash. The cash amount was chosen to match the church leader’s age. The vehicle was valued at about US$190,000.
The presentation came just days after Chivayo announced a major spending spree in which he bought vehicles for a number of people connected to his church. In a message addressed to Mwazha, he instructed the church leader’s representatives to collect the vehicle from Exquisite Car Dealership.
“Please kindly send your next of kin or church elders to go to Exquisite Car Dealership on Monday morning with registration instructions so that Victor can personally come and deliver your wonderful birthday present.”
Chivayo also said the white colour had been selected to reflect the white robes worn by members of the African Apostolic Church, commonly known as VaApostora veAfrica.
The announcement initially caused confusion after claims circulated that Mwazha had rejected the car and cash. The reports were linked to the elderly preacher’s reputation for a simple way of life and his long-standing distance from displays of wealth.
The gift was later accepted by church elders and representatives on his behalf at the dealership. Because Mwazha was already 107 years old, the vehicle was mainly used by members of his family. His son, Ngoni, became the person most closely associated with the car before Friday’s crash.
Mwazha died on November 20, 2025, at the age of 107, only weeks after the gift was handed over. He was the founder and leader of the African Apostolic Church and was widely known by his followers as Mutumwa Paul Mwazha.
Chivayo had described the donation as a personal gesture of gratitude for the spiritual influence Mwazha had exercised in Zimbabwe. The businessman has repeatedly used luxury vehicles and large cash gifts to honour religious leaders, musicians, sports personalities and other well-known figures.
The latest crash is not the first time a vehicle associated with Chivayo’s gifts has been involved in a serious accident. In May 2025, a Range Rover Autobiography SV bought for Zion Christian Church leader Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi was damaged before it reached him.
The Range Rover, valued at about US$400,000, was being collected when the driver crashed at Featherstone. The vehicle suffered heavy damage to its front and left side. Chivayo then replaced it with a 2025 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS600, valued at about US$550,000.
Mutendi had also received a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series as part of the same earlier donation. Chivayo said the original vehicles were intended to support the bishop’s religious and charitable work. The replacement of the damaged Range Rover became one of the most widely discussed examples of the businessman’s lavish approach to gift-giving.
Other gifted vehicles have also been involved in crashes. On December 30, 2024, two separate vehicles presented to prominent apostolic church leaders were involved in accidents on the same day. Madzibaba Obey Mapuranga crashed while travelling towards Bulawayo, while Madzibaba Owen Velvet was involved in a separate crash while returning from Bulawayo in heavy rain.
The incidents prompted intense debate among church followers and social media users. Officials connected to the Vapostori and Mazion movement later defended the leaders after speculation spread about the back-to-back crashes.
Comedian Freddy “Kapfupi” Manjalima was involved in a separate minor crash that damaged a Toyota Aqua he had received from the businessman. After Kapfupi appealed publicly for help, Chivayo provided a replacement Aqua and additional cash.
The latest accident comes at a time when Zimbabwe has recorded a series of deadly collisions on major highways. In July, Highlanders Football Club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba and treasurer Nkani Khoza died in a road accident near Lochard, about 60 kilometres from Bulawayo.
The three officials were travelling from Kariba after a league match when their vehicle was involved in a collision on the Gweru–Bulawayo Highway. Witnesses said the car struck a cow that had strayed onto the road before veering into the path of an oncoming bus.
A month later, at least 27 people died in one of the country’s worst road disasters of the year when a minibus carrying church members collided head-on with a haulage truck near Chivhu along the Harare–Masvingo Highway. Police said the truck was overtaking another vehicle when it crashed into the minibus.
The victims had been travelling to a church conference. The collision happened on a remote, flat stretch of road, and several people died at the scene while others later succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
The highway has since been the scene of repeated fatal crashes involving cars, buses, lorries, animals and other road users. The death near Featherstone has again placed the dangers faced by drivers and pedestrians along the route in the spotlight.
As emergency teams dealt with the wreckage on Friday evening, the Land Cruiser’s connection to one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent church figures added another layer of public interest to a crash that had already claimed a life. The white vehicle, once presented as a symbol of honour for Mwazha’s 107th birthday, was left badly damaged after the collision with the scotch cart.