South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has said that controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo is not under investigation over allegations linked to the procurement of election materials for Zimbabwe's 2023 harmonised elections.
The clarification follows claims that South African authorities were investigating Chivayo for alleged money laundering and fraud involving the procurement of election materials worth about R800 million.
Reports alleged that Johannesburg-based printing company Ren-Form CC, which has been associated with Chivayo, was awarded a contract by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to supply election materials for the August 2023 polls.
It was further alleged that Ren-Form received more than R1.1 billion from Zimbabwe's Treasury, with over R800 million allegedly flowing into bank accounts linked to Chivayo.
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Responding to the allegations, South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) said it does not conduct criminal investigations but provides financial intelligence to law enforcement agencies and other competent authorities.
"The FIC Act prevents FIC from disclosing whether or not it has received regulatory reports and whether or not it has produced financial intelligence on any matter or individual," the agency said.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale also dismissed claims of an ongoing investigation.
"The DPCI (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) has no such case in our system."
The Hawks are the specialised investigative unit of the South African Police Service responsible for probing organised crime, corruption, economic crime and other serious offences.
The allegations against Chivayo stemmed from claims that Ren-Form had inflated the cost of election materials under a deal reportedly worth about US$100 million.
In May this year, reports also claimed South African authorities had flagged Chivayo as a person of interest when President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Zimbabwe and met President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Chivayo was also present at the meeting.
HealthCommunity InformationHowever, South African publication News24 later retracted its report and apologised after Chivayo's legal team, led by Advocate Dali Mpofu, challenged the publication over what they described as false claims linking their client to election procurement fraud.
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The latest developments follow a separate announcement by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in December last year that it had found no evidence linking Chivayo to any fraudulent conduct relating to ZEC's procurement of election materials.
ZACC chairperson Michael Reza said the commission found no evidence implicating Chivayo, ZEC or the South African company in procurement fraud and further established that no contract existed between ZEC and any of the parties mentioned in the allegations.
Reacting to the Hawks' statement, Chivayo's legal team said, "We welcome the confirmation by the South African Police Service, through the Hawks, that our client is not under any investigation and that there is no such case in their system relating to the alleged R800 million fraud reportedly connected to the procurement of Zimbabwe's 2023 harmonised election materials through Ren-Form.
"This pronouncement is important because our client has, for some time, been accused in the public domain of matters which he has consistently denied and which, as now confirmed, were not even the subject of any formal investigation by the South African authorities."
