Harare, Zimbabwe | Wicknell Chivayo’s former wife, Sonja Madzikanda, was arrested on Monday after the controversial businessman accused her of stealing a device said to contain a sensitive video involving South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Madzikanda, who initiated divorce proceedings against Chivayo last year, spent part of Monday detained at Highlands Police Station in Harare.
While at the station, she recorded videos rejecting the allegations and countered by accusing Chivayo of using photographs and recordings with African leaders to intimidate perceived adversaries.
At the heart of the dispute is a video said to show Ramaphosa meeting Chivayo before the South African leader’s recent official trip to Zimbabwe. If authentic, the footage could raise questions over previous claims by the South African presidency that Ramaphosa had no prior relationship with Chivayo before their public appearance alongside President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
During that visit, Chivayo accompanied Mnangagwa in welcoming Ramaphosa before travelling with the two leaders from Harare to Kwekwe.
South African presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya previously described Chivayo as “a person of interest” to South African investigators and maintained that Ramaphosa had not known him prior to the Zimbabwe trip. The alleged existence of an earlier meeting could potentially undermine that position.
Questions have since emerged over how Madzikanda may have come into possession of the footage, assuming the claims against her are accurate.
In February, Madzikanda reportedly opened a fraud case against Chivayo at Sunnyside Police Station in Pretoria. Her South African lawyer, Nolufefe Felicia Samalenge, later alleged that the detailed complaint she submitted to authorities was leaked back to Chivayo.
According to Samalenge, Chivayo contacted Madzikanda’s mother, Tabitha Madzikanda, on April 11 and shared a copy of the police statement together with what the lawyer described as inappropriate remarks. It was allegedly during those exchanges that Chivayo circulated a video showing himself with Ramaphosa while claiming the criminal complaint against him would not succeed.
Samalenge has since lodged a complaint with Pretoria’s chief prosecutor, accusing investigators of improperly disclosing her client’s statement.
In correspondence dated April 14, the lawyer argued that the leak suggested possible “corrupt interaction” between investigators and a suspect. She also claimed Madzikanda and her relatives now feared harassment and intimidation.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF activist Rutendo Matinyarare shared what he said was a screenshot from the disputed footage on X. The image appeared to show Chivayo smiling toward the camera while Ramaphosa sat nearby in what looked like an informal setting.
Madzikanda claims the matter initially stemmed from a dispute involving access to the couple’s two children, and that the theft accusations only surfaced after legal intervention from her lawyer.
“How does someone surrounded by heavy security suddenly claim I accessed his devices and stole a compromising video involving a president?” Madzikanda said in one of the recordings.
She further alleged that Chivayo routinely uses footage and images with heads of state to pressure and threaten people.
“This should serve as a warning to leaders who associate with him,” she said. “He records these interactions and later uses them against others.”
Madzikanda also expressed fears that the arrest could be part of a wider attempt to separate her from her children.
Chivayo had not publicly responded to the arrest by the time of publication.
A prominent ally of President Mnangagwa, Chivayo has in recent years cultivated ties with several African leaders. His social media platforms frequently feature photographs and videos of meetings with presidents and senior officials from countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Nigeria.
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