The deal, signed on behalf of the Zimbabwean government by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr. Martin Rushwaya, includes an upfront payment of US$52.5 million and five monthly instalments of US$9.1 million each.

But what is raising eyebrows is the uncanny timing: the same month that the cancer equipment contract was formalised, Chivayo began boasting on social media that he was now “shopping” for a Gulfstream G700 jet — with personalised branding, “WMC 777”, to reflect his initials. The aircraft’s list price starts at US$75 million and goes up to US$83 million, making it one of the most expensive private jets on the market.

🧾 The Cancer Fund Under Scrutiny

The tender is ostensibly funded through a statutory sugar tax (SI 16 of 2024) — a levy imposed on beverages to create a cancer fund. While the government claims the initiative is aimed at improving cancer care amid a rising national burden of over 8,500 new cases annually, questions are mounting over how such massive sums can be committed to one contractor at a time when most public hospitals lack basic medicine, cancer patients die on waiting lists, and nurses go unpaid.

Health policy experts have demanded full disclosure on how the supplier was selected and whether due diligence was exercised, especially considering Chivayo’s public association with flamboyant spending and ongoing investigations into tender fraud.

🛩️ Jet Dreams, Public Nightmares

Chivayo’s own words appear to be mocking the poverty afflicting millions of Zimbabweans. In recent posts, he stated:

“I just jump into one of my Rolls Royces or private jets and go for calamari lunch in Mozambique. The world is not kind to the poor. Never apologise for making money.”

Critics say this language — paired with the sudden windfall from a cancer contract — amounts to a direct slap in the face of struggling citizens, some of whom are taxed indirectly for the cancer fund every time they buy a soda.

“Is this where the sugar tax is going? To fund Gulfstream jets?” asked one outraged medical professional at Parirenyatwa Hospital.

💬 Demands for Transparency

With the State’s recent withdrawal of fraud charges against Chivayo’s associates Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, who were also facing multimillion-dollar procurement allegations, analysts say the pattern of impunity is unmistakable. Despite multiple scandals and public outcry, Chivayo continues to be linked to multi-million dollar tenders — while showing no evidence of prior expertise in medical procurement.

Public finance watchdogs are now demanding that the Office of the President and Cabinet release full procurement records, clarify Chivayo’s involvement in TTM Global Medical Exports, and account for every dollar earmarked under the cancer fund.

While cancer patients in Zimbabwe continue to wait for diagnostic scans and treatment, one man is taking delivery of a jet fit for royalty. The question now is no longer whether Wicknell Chivayo is being enriched by state deals — but how far the rot goes, and who is protecting him from scrutiny.