Ramaphosa’s “I Didn’t Know” Excuse on Wanted Zimbabwean Businessman Smells Like More ANC Damage Control

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told the media that Ramaphosa was unaware of the presence of controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, whose assets have been frozen in South Africa and who is under active investigation by the Hawks for alleged money laundering. According to Magwenya, the President “is not familiar with the individual” and had no prior knowledge of the guest list.

Convenient Amnesia or Deliberate Blind Eye?

This “he didn’t know” narrative stretches credibility to breaking point. A sitting South African President flies into a private farm in Zimbabwe for a closed-door meeting with Mnangagwa — installed via military coup — surrounded by heavy security, select businessmen, and zero official transparency. Yet somehow the head of state and his entire delegation remained blissfully unaware of who was in the room?

Chivayo is no obscure figure. He is one of Zimbabwe’s most notorious tenderpreneurs — often described alongside Kudakwashe Tagwirei as the “Zimbabwean Guptas” — with deep ties to ZANU-PF elites and massive government contracts. South African authorities have frozen his assets, including reports of a private jet, and the Hawks are probing him over money laundering linked to hundreds of millions in suspicious flows.

For Ramaphosa to claim ignorance after images and reports clearly show Chivayo in the gathering raises serious questions about either gross incompetence in presidential protocol or deliberate willingness to overlook red flags when dealing with regional allies.

Pattern of Secrecy and Elite Deals

This latest revelation fits the troubling pattern we’ve seen: unannounced visit, private farm instead of State House, no press briefing, no published agenda, and now a controversial businessman in the mix. The DA has already slammed the trip as irregular and questioned the presence of dubious business interests.

Why the secrecy if this was just a normal bilateral chat about “mutual interests”? Why bypass normal diplomatic channels? And why is the Presidency only distancing itself after photos and reports surfaced exposing Chivayo’s presence?

Critics argue this looks like elite coordination between two embattled leaders facing domestic pressure. Ramaphosa’s ANC is bleeding support and flirting with militant youth rhetoric, while Mnangagwa clings to power in a country destroyed by decades of mismanagement. Meetings like this — away from public scrutiny — fuel legitimate fears of backroom deals, business protection rackets, or contingency planning should things turn ugly at the ballot box.

The Bigger Picture: Desperation and Dodgy Associations

South Africans are tired of the endless cycle: grand promises, cadre enrichment, corruption scandals, and then damage-control press statements when the spotlight hits. Blocking Starlink over BEE quotas while ordinary citizens suffer, pushing reparations fantasies, and now this farm fiasco all point to the same thing — an ANC increasingly willing to do whatever it takes to retain influence as electoral reality bites.

Ramaphosa’s team wants us to believe the President was an innocent bystander in his own meeting. Most South Africans, however, see a government that talks transparency but operates in shadows — especially when powerful friends with questionable records are involved.

The public deserves full disclosure: Who approved the guest list? What exactly was discussed with these businessmen present? And how many more “I didn’t know” moments are we expected to swallow before accountability actually means something?

Until real answers emerge, this secret Zimbabwe farm meeting will remain a glaring example of the opacity and questionable associations plaguing South Africa’s leadership at a time when the country can least afford it.