Wicknell Chivayo's $5m Gwanda Solar Project Found with One Solar Panel, Old Cabins, "What happened?"
- Zimbabwe's Gwanda Solar Project, valued at US$172.8 million, was found overrun with bush and termite-damaged structures during a recent site visit
- The 100-megawatt project was awarded to Chivayo's company Intratrek Zimbabwe over a decade ago but never progressed beyond near-total neglect
- At Chivayo's funeral, his brother G6 shared that he had sold cars and raised US$220,000 after being promised a US$1 million cut from the deal
PAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Zimbabwe's Gwanda Solar Project, awarded to the late businessman Wicknell Chivayo's company Intratrek Zimbabwe Pvt Ltd, has been exposed as little more than an overgrown field, with a single solar panel the only visible sign that any electricity-related work was ever intended on the 262-hectare site.
Source: UGC
A recent visit to the Gwanda site, with details reported by Cite News, showed a landscape largely consumed by thick bush and shrubs.
The lone panel on the property appears to power a security light.
Termite-damaged wooden cabins and rooftops missing tiles are among the few man-made structures still standing, while the access road to the site has deteriorated badly.
What the Gwanda Solar Project promised
The project was conceived to inject 100 megawatts of solar-generated electricity into Zimbabwe's national grid, a meaningful intervention for a country that has endured severe and prolonged power shortages.
The initial tender was valued at roughly US$5 million, with the full development carrying a price tag of approximately US$172.8 million.
More than ten years after the contract was awarded, not a single megawatt has been delivered.
The Facebook post below provides more details on Wicknell Chivayo's $5m Gwanda solar project.
Wicknell Chivayo: G6 funeral account stirs questions
Fresh attention fell on the project following Chivayo's funeral, where his brother Joachim, widely known as G6, offered an unexpectedly candid account of his own dealings with Wicknell surrounding the contract.
G6 told mourners he had liquidated most of his vehicles and assembled US$220,000 after Wicknell persuaded him the venture would generate US$5 million, with US$1 million set aside for him personally.
"I would be a millionaire by the age of 24," G6 recalled, describing the morning Wicknell woke him to announce that funds had come through.
The celebration did not last. G6 said his brother went quiet shortly afterwards, stopped answering his calls, and eventually reappeared not with any payment but with social media posts depicting an extravagant lifestyle.
"I was seeing him on Facebook wearing US$90,000 shoes and going to America," G6 told the crowd.
When G6 finally confronted Wicknell, he was told the money had already been spent.
Wicknell then reportedly offered him a vehicle worth around US$400,000 as a substitute, a sum well below the million dollars G6 had been expecting.
G6 framed the entire episode as a reflection of his late brother's "hustling mentality," observing that even family members were not exempt from his methods.
Mourners reportedly responded with laughter as the story unfolded, though the account has since renewed serious public questions about where the millions allocated to the Gwanda project ultimately ended up.
G6 cautions Wicknell Chivayo's business partners
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Joachim Chivayo, known as G6, and his appeal for business partners to resolve outstanding dealings with his late brother, Wicknell Chivayo, peacefully and without court action.
He also pledged that Wicknell’s children would be cared for and his legacy preserved.
At the burial, G6 said his brother’s business legacy belonged to his children and would continue despite his death. He also recalled how Wicknell supported him and introduced him to the business world.
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: YEN.com.gh
