HARARE — Sungura musician Taruvinga Manjokota, known as Sugar Sugar, says he was contacted and asked to return the Toyota Fortuner gifted to him by the late businessman Wicknell Chivayo. But the owner of the dealership that supplied the vehicle has denied asking for it back, leaving the singer’s immediate concern caught between a reported phone call and a direct public denial from the dealer.
Sugar Sugar raised the issue on National FM’s Breakfast Show, saying he had received a call demanding the return of the vehicle. He was given no confirmed explanation that settled what would happen next. The Fortuner was one of the most prominent gifts made by Chivayo, whose sudden death has left car dealers and other business partners working through unpaid balances and unresolved transactions.
DJ Ollah, who contacted Enterprise Car Sales owner Madzibaba Tendai Chipaga about the claim, said Chipaga rejected the suggestion that he had ordered Sugar Sugar to bring back the vehicle. Ollah relayed the response: “We’ve just contacted Madzibaba Tendai Chipaga the owner of Enterprise Car Sale, he denied allegations that Sugar Sugar was asked to bring back the vehicle since they’re waiting for the executor to finalize everything. He suspects someone took advantage of the situation and speculation to instill fear to Sugar Suga by lying to him. Mudododo hit maker should not worry for now.”
The denial does not explain who made the call Sugar Sugar described, but it gives the singer a different account from the one he says he received. Chipaga’s position, as relayed by Ollah, is that no return request came from him and that the parties are waiting for the executor to complete the necessary steps. The immediate question for Sugar Sugar is whether he can continue using a vehicle he understood to be a personal gift.
Chivayo announced the gift in September after his children were seen dancing to Sugar Sugar’s song “Todya Mudododo”, from the musician’s 2026 album Kusvika Ati Eke. Chivayo said the track had become a favourite in his home. His initial offer was a new 2026 Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 and US$10,000 in cash for fuel.
The cash gift later rose to US$40,000. Sugar Sugar posted a video thanking Chivayo and praising Zimbabwe’s leadership. Chivayo then added another US$30,000 to the original offer. Sugar Sugar collected the vehicle and cash, and the gift drew attention from other musicians and members of the public as Chivayo’s high-value presents continued to feature prominently on social media.
The singer’s concern comes as suppliers seek to establish what Chivayo’s businesses and estate owe for vehicles already released. Three major Harare dealers have been reported to be owed a combined US$5.1 million. The figures cited are US$2.4 million for Faramatsi Motors, about US$1.4 million for Exquisite Cars and roughly US$1.3 million for Enterprise Car Sales. Those balances are reported claims, and the dealers have not all confirmed them.
Victor Matiyenga, who heads Exquisite Cars, rejected the reported figure for his business as greatly exaggerated. He said whatever Chivayo owed the company “has been written off”. Faramatsi Motors owner Farai Matsika declined to discuss individual transactions, citing client confidentiality. He said: “We respect and protect and abide by our client confidentiality rules. If you buy a car from Faramatsi Motors, you will not hear anything relating to the transaction. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
Chipaga was not available for comment when the reported dealer balances were first raised. His later response, conveyed by DJ Ollah, addressed the separate question of Sugar Sugar’s Fortuner: he denied directing the singer to return it and said the executor’s work had to be completed. The distinction matters because an overall balance claimed by a dealership does not, by itself, establish what was paid for a particular vehicle or what the recipient was told about it.
The arrangements supported a public gifting style built around Chivayo announcing a vehicle and directing the recipient to collect it from a showroom. “Go and see Victor” became a familiar instruction when he told people they were receiving a high-end car. Dealers could also pool vehicles to meet large orders, leaving several businesses to reconcile invoices and payments after cars had been delivered.
The size of those orders was clear in Chivayo’s final public gifts. On 25 September, he announced that 15 members of the Johane Masowe church from Domboshava, Chiweshe and Mrewa would each receive a new 2026 Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 and US$5,000. The group collected the vehicles on 30 September, the day Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and others died in a helicopter crash in the Marondera district. Some recipients reportedly learned of the crash as the handover was taking place.
A Fortuner GD-6 was valued at about US$70,000 in the reported transactions. Chivayo’s vehicle orders also included Toyota Aquas, Land Cruisers and Mercedes-Benz models. Dealers and suppliers are now matching the cars released against orders and payments. Some South African suppliers are also trying to establish balances for vehicles sent before full payment, while some cars have reportedly remained at the Beitbridge border post pending payment of duty.
The reported US$5.1 million is separate from estimates of the total value of Chivayo’s gifts. Public estimates have placed the giveaway campaign above US$50 million, while Chivayo himself claimed he had given away more than US$100 million. Another estimate put the campaign at more than 300 luxury vehicles and about US$47 million in cars and cash. The different figures reflect competing estimates of the overall gifts, not the specific balance claimed by the three Harare dealerships.
For Sugar Sugar, the issue is narrower and more immediate. The Fortuner was presented as a reward for a hit song that had caught Chivayo’s attention, and the musician says he has now been told to return it. The dealer owner has publicly denied making that demand. Until the executor’s work is completed, the singer and the dealership remain waiting for a clearer account of the car’s status.