After famously
walking out of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison where he was incarcerated for
rape to a hero’s welcome, complete with US$2 000 and a Toyota Aqua courtesy of
businessman Wicknell Chivayo, Makaza is now counting heavy losses.
His newly found
fortune has vanished in the arms of a woman, and his prized Toyota Aqua has
reportedly been spirited away in a brazen act of deception.
Makaza became
the main man during Zanu PF’s campaign trail in the 2023 harmonised elections,
which saw Mnangagwa winning against old time political foe, Nelson Chamisa of
the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The ex-convict
would feature in almost each of the Zanu PF campaign rallies, enjoying VIP
treatment, but alas, today, the once vibrant campaigner is now a shadow of himself.
He has visibly
lost weight, maybe due to ageing or stress as he is now struggling to adapt to
a low life.
“Thank you for
contacting me, I really wanted this (media), to tell my story,” Makaza said
after being engaged to shed light on how he lost his newly-found “fortune”.
But, according
to villagers, the convicted rapist lost the US$2 000 windfall to a woman, who
has since abandoned him.
“He cohabitated
with a certain woman, who has since left him after realising that he has fallen
on hard times,” a villager told NewsDay Weekender.
During his
first appearance in public after his release,
Zanu PF also rewarded Makaza with a house and a substantial amount of
cash during a presidential rally in Mutawatawa, Mashonaland East province.
Makaza was
sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Murewa magistrate in 2019 after raping a
10-year-old girl a year earlier.
He, however,
served less than five years of the sentence after he was released together with
more than 4 200 other prisoners following a clemency order signed by Mnangagwa
on May 19, 2023.
The released
prisoners included, according to government, rapists and murderers who had
turned 60 or older.
The amnesty,
which was aimed at decongesting prisons and give offenders a second chance, was
met with mixed reactions.
Soon after
leaving prison, Makaza became a celebrity in the ruling party for coining Zanu
PF’s 2023 election campaign slogan, “ED huchi”, which was extensively being
used at its rallies, but has since faded.
Makaza, who is
known in his home area as Mudhara Huchi, admitted that his new wife chowed into
much of the money donated to him.
The 32-year-old
woman, a cross-border trader who spent most of her time in Namibia, was
handpicked by Makaza at an apostolic shrine in Uzumba.
“I gave her
US$200 to travel from Namibia where she plies her trade mostly, though she is
from this area,” he recalled.
“I then gave
her US$600 to start a chicken project. To be honest she worked hard on that
project, but we failed to secure a market for the chickens.
“She even went
to sell the chickens at illegal gold panning sites, but it failed. She also
tried to sell fish, but the business went down and didn’t yield anything.”
The woman
relocated to Namibia after telling Makaza that Zimbabwe was not good and
conducive for her money-spinning trades.
Makaza also
used part of the money to pay dowry for
his new wife.
Before
incarceration, Makaza had married three times.
On the issue of
the Toyota Aqua, Makaza admitted that he was defrauded by some youths who
wanted to use the vehicle as a taxi.
“They came to
me and said they wanted to use the vehicle as a taxi, where I would get US$120
per week,” he said.
“I gave in to
the deal not knowing that it was a bad decision.
“The next time
I saw the car, it was in a mess.
“The dream of
building a house using proceeds from the vehicle were shattered.”
Makaza had to
exchange the Toyota Aqua with an old Toyota Noah, which has since been grounded
at his homestead.
He admitted
that he wasted an opportunity to become rich in life and appealed to Chivayo to
“smile at him” again since he had learnt his “lesson”. Newsday
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