G6 lifts lid on Chivayo’s controversial Gwanda solar deal

The late Intratrek director Wicknell Chivayo in front of the engineers’ office block in Gwanda in September 2019.

G6 made the revelations on Thursday at his brother’s funeral, offering a personal account of the 2015 deal that provides a new perspective on the 100-megawatt Gwanda Solar Project, which was awarded to Wicknell’s company, Intratrek Zimbabwe Pvt Ltd and has since been the subject of years of legal battles, public controversy and questions over its stalled implementation.

Last month it was reported that the solar project was back on track after the developer, Intratrek Zimbabwe, received a Notice to Proceed from the government to complete the power plant within 24 months.

According to G6, Wicknell approached him in 2015 and told him he had secured the Gwanda solar project but needed money to complete the paperwork.

“I sold most of my cars. I raised US$220 000,” G6 said, recounting the events to mourners.

He said Wicknell had told him that the deal would pay US$5 million and that he would receive US$1 million from the proceeds.

G6 recalled that less than two months after he had raised the money, Wicknell woke him early one morning with what appeared to be confirmation that the deal had gone through.

“He woke me up in the morning and said, ‘The deal has gone through. US$5 million has been paid,’” G6 said.

He said he was ecstatic, believing the US$1 million he had been promised was finally within reach.

“I would be a millionaire by the age of 24,” G6 said.

However, according to G6, the excitement was short-lived.

He claimed Wicknell subsequently stopped answering his calls, leaving him waiting for the money he believed he was owed, drawing laughter from the mourners as he narrated the story.

G6 said he would later see his brother posting on Facebook about expensive purchases, including shoes worth about US$90 000 and travelling to the United States.

“I was seeing him on Facebook wearing US$90 000 shoes and going to America,” he said.

When he eventually confronted Wicknell, G6 claimed his brother told him that the money was already gone and offered him a vehicle worth about US$400 000 instead.

G6 said the offer was significantly below what he believed they had agreed.

He described the episode as an illustration of his late brother’s “hustling mentality”, saying even family members could find themselves on the receiving end of his business tactics.

The Gwanda solar project was valued at about US$172.8 million and was intended to feed 100 megawatts of solar-generated electricity into Zimbabwe’s national grid.

More than a decade later, however, the project remains largely stalled.

A recent visit to the site found a neglected 262-hectare property overgrown with bushes and shrubs, with little visible infrastructure associated with a major power-generation project.

Termite-infested wooden structures, missing roof tiles and a single solar panel reportedly used for security lighting add to the appearance of abandonment, while the poor state of the access road has raised further concerns about the project’s progress.

The legal history surrounding the project is equally complex.

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) awarded Intratrek the contract in 2015 but terminated it in 2018, citing non-performance.

ZPC subsequently pursued legal action against the company, including efforts to recover money advanced towards the project.

However, the litigation did not produce the straightforward accountability outcome the power utility had sought.

The courts found that the termination of the contract by ZPC was unlawful, with the dispute turning partly on contractual conditions and funding obligations.

The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the validity of the contract, with the litigation highlighting procedural and contractual shortcomings on the part of ZPC.

ZPC had alleged that Intratrek failed to deliver despite receiving an advance of about US$5.6 million.

The collapse of the utility’s case therefore left unresolved broader questions about what happened to the project, the money advanced and the responsibilities of the parties under the contract.

G6’s account introduces another layer to that history by describing what he says was happening within the Chivayo family when the project was presented as a lucrative opportunity.

His recollection, however, does not establish what happened to the project’s funds or resolve the contractual issues that were ultimately determined by the courts.

Instead, it raises further questions about the representations made to those who put money into the venture, the flow of funds associated with the project and what ultimately prevented the promised solar plant from becoming operational.