Sungura musician Taruvinga Manjokota, better known as Sugar Sugar, says the US$50,000 in cash he received from the late businessman Wicknell Chivayo and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has all been spent. The singer, whose hit song “Mudododo” brought him public attention, has also spoken of the strain caused by reports that his Toyota Fortuner could be taken back.
Sugar Sugar says he has not received the registration book for the vehicle, which Chivayo gave him alongside cash. The paperwork issue became more distressing last week after the musician said callers warned him that he had to return the Fortuner. The car dealer who supplied it has since said no vehicle was being demanded back and described the callers as fraudsters.
The cash he says is gone came in two parts. Chivayo gave Sugar Sugar US$40,000, while a further US$10,000 was delivered through Dr Paul Tungwarara and attributed to President Mnangagwa. The total, the musician says, has been used. He has not given a public itemised account of how he spent it, but has pushed back against people questioning him or asking him for money.
Chivayo’s cash reward was reported as having risen from an earlier US$10,000 pledge to US$40,000. He also offered a separate US$20,000 for positive promotion of Zimbabwe; that pledge is distinct from the US$50,000 Sugar Sugar now says he has spent. The Toyota Fortuner was part of the support given to the musician after “Mudododo” became a hit.
For Sugar Sugar, however, the car has become an immediate source of anxiety. He said he was told the vehicle had not been paid for and that it had to be returned to the dealership by 10am on October 22. The message reached him through people contacting him, while his manager kept him updated about the calls.
The singer described the fear and confusion the reports caused. “I don’t know why people are so cruel that they want to see me poor and begging for survival on the streets,” he said.
“When I became one of the last musicians to be gifted a car by the late Sir Wicknell, millions of people rejoiced with me. But now, my happiness was almost taken away by people making these alarming claims.
“I didn’t sleep last night (Tuesday) because I wasn’t sure whether the news was real or fake. My manager was the one updating me about the calls, and, honestly, my world had literally crumbled.”
Sugar Sugar said he felt relieved after his management received further communication that he could keep the vehicle, at least for now. But he said the uncertainty had not completely gone away.
“I am now relieved because I have been advised to keep it, but sometimes I still panic because I love that car to bits. I see the late Chivayo through that car and remember everything he did for me when I needed help the most.”
Madzibaba Tendai Chipaga, owner of Enterprise Car Sales and the dealer who supplied the Fortuner, rejected the claims that Sugar Sugar had been ordered to return it. He said the people making the calls were not acting on his instructions.
“The people calling Sugar Sugar are fake and crooks, to say the least,” Chipaga said.
“The only person allowed to call him is me, not anyone else. Those who received the last batch of cars should keep them safe. Chivayo had a bigger estate and only the executor has the final say.
“For now, those who received the last batch of cars are not allowed to sell their vehicles and no one is allowed to buy them.”
Chipaga said approximately 15 vehicles supplied to Chivayo had not been paid for before the businessman’s death. He said the outstanding payments were awaiting the finalisation of the estate. That payment issue has fuelled speculation about the vehicles, but Chipaga said no car had been formally demanded back from its recipient.
The dealer’s comments have drawn a distinction between the unsettled payments and the rumours reaching individual beneficiaries. Sugar Sugar has been advised to keep the Fortuner, while Chipaga has also cautioned recipients not to sell the vehicles and buyers not to purchase them. The estate’s executor, he said, has the final say over what happens next.
The vehicle was a highly visible part of the support Chivayo gave the musician. In September, reports said the businessman had first promised a cash reward and later raised it to US$40,000, in addition to the Fortuner. Tungwarara separately delivered US$10,000 to Sugar Sugar, linking the reward to the popularity of “Mudododo”. Together, those payments account for the US$50,000 the musician now says is gone.
Sugar Sugar has asked people spreading claims about the car to give him time to grieve for Chivayo. He said he was still struggling with the death of the man who had helped him when he needed support. The Fortuner, he said, remains tied to those memories as well as to the practical problem of a registration book he has yet to receive.
For now, the musician says he is keeping the vehicle after receiving reassurance through his management. The car dealer says beneficiaries should hold on to the vehicles while the estate process continues, and that only he is authorised to contact Sugar Sugar about the Fortuner. The musician’s account of the phone calls and the dealer’s rejection of any recall order have placed the dispute’s focus on the unpaid vehicles, the missing paperwork and the uncertainty facing recipients of Chivayo’s final batch of gifts.