Fresh reports have raised questions about the ownership of Wicknell Chivayo’s lavish mansion in Harare, with claims that the late businessman had not completed payment for the property when he died.
The Gletwyn mansion, located near the upmarket Chishawasha Hills area, was reportedly purchased from former Zimbabwe Republic Police commissioner Augustine Chihuri in May 2024. New reports claim the agreed price was US$2.5 million, but that Chivayo paid only US$1.4 million.
If accurate, that would leave an outstanding balance of approximately US$1.1 million at the time of Chivayo’s death in a helicopter crash on 30 September 2026. The reports say the remaining amount was not meant to be paid in cash, but was allegedly tied to so-called political services.
The claim has not been presented as a confirmed court judgment, and the full sale agreement has not been made public. It remains unclear whether the reported arrangement was legally enforceable, whether the balance was formally acknowledged and what rights Chivayo’s estate may now have over the property.
Alleged payment arrangement
According to the latest reports, Chivayo and Chihuri agreed on a purchase price of US$2.5 million. Chivayo allegedly transferred US$1.4 million, while the outstanding US$1.1 million was linked to services involving political relationships.
Those services were reportedly connected to Chivayo’s alleged efforts to help ease tensions between Chihuri and President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Chihuri had remained loyal to former president Robert Mugabe and opposed the events surrounding the November 2017 change of government. He later left Zimbabwe for Malawi.
The reports suggest that the alleged political arrangement was never placed in a formal written document. That has created uncertainty because services that were not paid for in cash can be difficult to value, prove or enforce, particularly after the death of one of the people involved.
“The fact and truth of the matter is that Chivayo had not fully paid for the property at the time of his tragic death last week,” the report quoted a source as saying.
“The house in Gletwyn was valued at US$2.5 million, but Chivayo only paid US$1.4 million, and the balance was to be settled through ‘services’, which are very difficult to quantify and value in monetary terms, particularly when the buyer is now deceased.
“What this means is that Chihuri will have to decide what happens next because he wasn’t fully paid.”
The reported arrangement raises questions about whether Chivayo’s estate can claim the house, whether Chihuri remains entitled to the property or whether the matter would have to be resolved through negotiations or court proceedings.
Ownership not formally transferred
The reports also claim that the legal transfer of the property was never completed. Under Zimbabwe’s property-registration system, signing an agreement and moving into a house do not, by themselves, necessarily establish registered ownership.
A completed transfer would generally require steps such as a title search, payment of taxes and transfer charges, a rates-clearance certificate and registration of a new title deed at the Deeds Registry.
The reports claim those steps were not completed in this case. If that is confirmed, the title deed may still be held in Chihuri’s name or in the name of a trust connected to the transaction.
A previous account of the property deal said Chivayo’s lawyers described him as a beneficiary of a trust that had purchased the house. His lawyer, Advocate Lewis Uriri, was quoted as saying: “Mr Chivayo is a beneficiary of the owner of the property, having purchased the same. The owner, whose title is being processed, is a trust that, for now, cannot be named,” said Uriri.
That earlier explanation appears to differ from the latest claims that the purchase was incomplete. It is possible that the trust structure, payment arrangement and title process were connected, but the available reports do not provide enough documentation to establish exactly how the transaction was structured.
Property’s complicated history
The mansion has a contentious history of its own. It previously belonged to Chihuri, who became the subject of state investigations into alleged unexplained wealth.
The property was seized by the state in 2020 as part of proceedings involving assets linked to the former police chief. Chihuri denied wrongdoing and argued that the case was politically motivated. In 2022, he successfully challenged the seizure after the state failed to prove its case to the required standard, allowing him to reclaim the property and other assets.
A separate valuation dispute has also emerged. The reports claim the property was sold for US$2.5 million, while the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority valued it at approximately US$7 million. That difference of US$4.5 million could become significant if the transaction, taxes or the value of the estate are challenged.
The higher valuation does not automatically prove that the agreed sale price was unlawful. A property’s market or tax value can differ from the amount accepted by a buyer and seller. However, it adds another layer to a transaction already surrounded by questions over payment, title and the alleged use of political services.
What happens next
Chivayo died alongside his wife, Lucy Muteke, and four other people when their helicopter crashed near Marondera. His estate is now expected to deal with the mansion dispute alongside other assets and claims.
The reports say Chihuri still holds the keys to the property. That claim has not been independently confirmed through a public title search or a court ruling.
The next steps could include the appointment of an executor, examination of the sale agreement and trust documents, confirmation of payments made, and negotiations between Chihuri and Chivayo’s estate. If the parties cannot agree, the dispute could eventually be placed before a court.
For now, the central claim is that Chivayo paid US$1.4 million towards a reported US$2.5 million purchase price and that the remaining US$1.1 million was allegedly linked to undocumented services. Earlier statements about a trust and a title deed being processed provide a different version of the ownership structure.
Until the relevant documents are produced or a court makes a determination, it is more accurate to describe the mansion’s ownership as disputed rather than definitively state that Chivayo never owned it.