A Johannesburg printing firm and its agent are being investigated by Zimbabwe's anti-corruption authority for price gouging on election-related material and equipment.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min Zimbabwe is no stranger to corruption. But the brazen nature of the R570-million scandal engulfing the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) has outraged the country. A Johannesburg printing firm and its agent, a larger-than-life tenderpreneur, are being investigated by Zimbabwe's anti-corruption authority.

Leaked documents suggest the printing firm, Ren-Form, inflated the price of ballot papers, biometric voter registration kits and portable toilets while its politically connected partner, Wicknell Chivayo, made payments to mystery officials. In one instance, Ren-Form invoiced the ZEC R23-million for a server that normally costs just R90,000.

'Sir Wicknell'

Chivayo dubs himself "Sir Wicknell" on social media, frequently posting pictures of himself with President Emmerson Mnangagwa or posing in front of large piles of cash. While he has nine businesses in South Africa and had a brush with the law in 2011, Chivayo has largely flown under the radar in South Africa.

In Zimbabwe, however, he is notorious for his past conviction for money laundering, and his fleet of luxury cars, some of which he donates to Zanu-PF-supporting musicians.

Chivayo acted as agent for Ren-Form, a family-owned commercial printing company based in...