Comedians target ‘wealth’ around Wicknell Chivayo
COMEDIANS Doc Vikella and Bhutisi, known for their ties to Zimbabwe’s ruling party Zanu PF, are trying to get a piece of the action from big spender Wicknell Chivayo. Doc Vikella is known for imitating President Emmerson Mnangagwa since his rise to power through a coup, which toppled the late Robert Mugabe.
Bhutisi has been actively involved in comedy skits that mirror society and the lives of the common men in the economically crippled Zimbabwe.
The two comedians are currently on a tour titled Comedy Junta that kicked o last night (Saturday) in Triangle before moving to Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo, and Masvingo.
A junta is a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force and Zanu PF has been described as a Junta after the ousting of Mugabe.
In the comedy world, Doc Vikella and Bhutisi represent an earlier generation facing sti competition from new skit makers and standup comedians.
Their tour can be seen as an attempt to regain popularity amidst criticism and competition from a new wave of comedians.
The duo of Bhutisi and Doc Vikella represents an older generation, which seeks to maintain power in their sector, which is threatened by the young turks.
Just like how the older generation in Zanu PF, who supported Mnangagwa (Lacoste) felt threatened by the young turks, the G40.
The older generation had to stage a military assisted coup, paving the way for the Junta which is at home today.
Ironically, the duo has publicly expressed their support for Chivayo who of late, has been on a spending spree, showering millions of dollars on Zanu PF-a liated artists.
This has prompted many artists to publicly declare their 'love' for the party and
Chivayo, who recently divorced his wife Sonja.
Bhutisi followed in the footsteps of other artists like Seh Calaz and Sniper Storm who publicly sought Chivayo’s attention so that they could be gifted with cars and money.
Bhutisi shared a skit on his Facebook page where he expressed support for
Zanu PF.
Critics believe that
Chivayo's spending is a way for Zanu PF to channel money to its supporters.
They allege that Chivayo’s funds were not his own, but rather belonged to the ruling party.
Exiled musician Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo criticised Chivayo’s spending, calling it a Zanu PF project.
“There are people, including artists, who are being spoiled by Chivayo,” he said.
“We are watching them. It's not his money; that's Zanu PF money.
“He is being used to splash money on cars for party loyalists by a force working in the background.
“People shouldn't adore him and think he's wealthy and a hard worker because it's not his money.”
Critics argue that the money being splashed by Chivayo could have signi cantly improved the lives of Zimbabweans by funding essential services like dialysis machines.
Zanu PF has been challenged to address the country’s basic needs like healthcare, education, and employment, instead of a show o parade by gifting party loyalists.
Chivayo has been implicated in the
“failed” Gwanda solar power scheme.
The Gwanda solar project aimed to generate 100 megawatts of electricity.
Chivayo, through his company Intratek, was awarded the tender. He was accused of receiving an advance payment of US$5,6 million without delivering any signi cant work.
Questions arose regarding the tender process and potential con icts of interest, leading to Chivayo facing charges of fraud related to the project funds.
In 2023, Chivayo and his company were acquitted due to unreasonable delays in the prosecution.
However, the acquittal doesn’t necessarily imply Chivayo’s innocence regarding the project's progress.
While Chivayo was acquitted on technical grounds, the project’s shortcomings and the initial accusations of nancial mismanagement remain a cause for concern.
The Gwanda solar project remains un nished, while Zimbabwe grapples with persistent power shortages. tistes get less compared to foreigners during local festivals.
He said in the same vein local promoters pay more to a visiting artiste than to their home artistes.
“We now depend on gigs out of our towns because people tend to appreciate you and they pay more,” he said. “Artistes should cast their nets wide and do a bit of travelling to explore other places,
“In my case l go outside the country just across borders maybe in South Africa and do some gigs, make a bit of money and come back.”
Chikoti urged upcoming artistes to utilise opportunities presented to them. Chikoti has several albums including Wega, Nzendo (Journey) as well as Words Spoken and Unspoken, among others.