Tinotenda Hove- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has claimed he is in deep shock following the death of his close ally and controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo, exposing once again the cosy and rotten relationship between State House and the man widely seen as a government tenders frontman.

Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and other occupants died in a helicopter crash near Marondera on Wednesday. The helicopter crashed in rural Marondera on September 30, with authorities confirming that there were no survivors. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash are ongoing.

In a condolence message issued on Thursday that has been slammed as shameless whitewashing, Mnangagwa said he was personally devastated.

“The sudden and unexpected tragic passing on of Mr and Mrs Chivayo, two crew members and a security aide in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon left our Nation, my family, and me personally numbed and in deep shock and grief,” Mnangagwa said.

“We are all shattered by this unexpected, sudden demise of so young a family and officers for whom so much promise held,” he added.

Despite Chivayo’s notorious record of grabbing lucrative government contracts and flaunting unexplained wealth, Mnangagwa attempted to sanitise him as a philanthropist.

“Consummately philanthropic, the Chivayo Family touched so many lives in our Nation through its countless acts of charity and generosity which ran into millions of dollars, and which motivated and transformed countless lives,” he said.

Mnangagwa further claimed Chivayo’s generosity had touched politics, religion, public service, culture and sport, while revealing the pair had held private meetings just a day before the crash.

“The late Wicknell Chivayo had a grand vision for his family, for our country, for the Southern African subregion and for our African continent,” he said.

The President’s admission that Chivayo had shared plans with him on Tuesday has only fueled public anger over how deeply entrenched the tenderpreneur was in Mnangagwa’s government.

Mnangagwa said: “May the bereaved families find solace and comfort in the great and distinguished work and service which the dear departed rendered to our Nation, and for which they will continue to be remembered and emulated.”

The crash has triggered mourning among the political elite, with Kenyan President William Ruto describing Chivayo as “a dear friend”, while ordinary Zimbabweans question why the President is shattered by the death of a tenderpreneur while remaining silent on the suffering caused by corrupt tenders.