THE CENTI-MILLIONAIRE

• Wicknell says he has ‘just’ US$100 million • In nine years’ time, he’ll be a BILLIONAIRE

BUSINESSMAN Wicknell Chivayo has, for the first time, claimed he is a CENTI-MILLIONAIRE — a wealthy person whose net worth is more than US$100 million.

He says within the next nine years, or even earlier, he would have fulfilled his fate to be a BILLIONAIRE.

He was reacting to an H-Metro story, published yesterday, which suggested that Wicknell still had a mountain to climb for him to fulfil his dream to join the BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB.

Earlier this week, Wicknell said he was fated to become a BILLIONAIRE and nothing was going to stop him.

“Sekai henyu asi Mwari wandinonamata anondinzwa.

“I just need nine years chete, if not less, saka ndinoti nyorai pasi muchapupura hukuru hwake Mwari wedu wemakomo asingashanduke.

“Ndakarara mugomo 3 days ndichinamata ndikanzi kubva nhasi wave billionaire zviri munzira mako saka so far ndine ka 100 hangu ndasara ne900 slowly, but surely I will get there.

“ZvaMwari zvinoda patience, but ndinosvika chete,” he posted.

For the first time, he revealed that his net worth was over US$100 million, which also gets him into a small clique of wealthy individuals on the continent of about 1.48 billion people.

According to the 2023 Africa Wealth Report Africa’s millionaire population is expected to rise by 42 percent over the next eight years.

This will take the number of millionaires on the continent to 195 000 by 2032.

Last year, there were 37 800 millionaires in South Africa and six billionaires.

Zimbabwe is one of two Southern African countries with a black billionaire, with Strive Masiyiwa and Patrice Motsepe making it into that exclusive group.

So, where does a net worth of US$100 million, as Wicknell claims, take him?

• He joins the 98 centi-millionaires who are in South Africa.

• In Egypt there are 54 centi-millionaires.

• Nigeria has 27 centi-millionaires among its 218m people.

• There are six centi-millionaires in Tanzania.

• Ghana has just five centi-millionaires.

• There are eight centi-millionaires in Algeria.

• Ethiopia has four centi-millionaires.

• There are 10 centi-millionaires in Mauritius.

• Morocco has 28 centi-millionaires. The 41-year-old businessman says he believes in a prophecy he claims was given to him in 1994 that he would reach this milestone.

Wicknell says he has made it into this exclusive company but that is not where he is destined to get as his quest is to reach the Promised Land of billionaires.

He boldly says it’s a place he will reach, within the next nine years which means that he has targeted to be a billionaire before or by the age of 50.

A MAN has been jailed 14 years for killing his wife after she refused to prepare sadza for him after a power outage had ended some time in 2021.

Clayton Mabasa Hunda had a misunderstanding with his wife soon after power was restored and she refused to cook for him because she was allegedly talking to her boyfriends.

The couple had downed a 750ml bottle of gin.

Hunda assaulted his wife in anger, sat on her chest and pulled out her braids.

She later passed out from the resultant injuries and died.

Hunda, who contested the trial, defended himself saying he only lost self-control in a moment of madness.

He said he was provoked in his intoxicated state.

In convicting Hunda, High Court judge, Justice Lucy Mungwari, found that the murder wasn’t committed in aggravating circumstances.

“An examination of the circumstances in which this murder occurred reveals that indeed it cannot be denied that the offender may have been provoked, although that provocation was insufficient to reach the threshold necessary to accord the offender the partial defence of provocation which would have reduced the crime to culpable homicide.

“The court is still obliged to consider it as lessening his moral blameworthiness.

“The provocation related to the possibility of infidelity on the part of the deceased when she boasted that she was talking to her boyfriends,” ruled Justice Mungwari.

He said Hunda acted out of his character and qualifies for a rehabilitative sentence.

“It therefore also amounts to the fact of the offender having acted out of passion.

“It was a finding of this court that the offender took offence at his wife’s response to his request to cook supper.

“A wholesome consideration of these issues lead us to the inescapable conclusion that it is in the interests of justice that the offender be sentenced as follows: 14 years’ imprisonment.”

The court heard that when Hunda discovered that his wife had died from the assault, he tried to render first aid to her by pouring water on her to no avail.