HARARE – Controversial US$412 million contract for the supply of cancer treatment equipment to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has come under intense scrutiny, with serious concerns being raised over the terms of the agreement, the legitimacy of the awarded company, and the role of controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo.
The deal, which reportedly involves South Africa-based firm TTM Global Medical Exports (Pty) Ltd, has drawn criticism from legal advocate and former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere, who is demanding answers regarding the procurement process and the authenticity of the company entrusted with handling one of Zimbabwe’s largest health-related contracts.
A key point of contention is the clause that authorizes an upfront payment of US$52.5 million to the supplier before any cancer equipment is delivered. According to Mahere, this so-called “mobilisation fee” is equivalent to the actual value of the equipment being procured, implying that the remaining balance—close to US$360 million—could represent highly inflated or unjustified charges.
“This is not a new scheme,” Mahere stated. “It mirrors past state contracts involving Wicknell Chivayo, where enormous sums were paid upfront, but little to no tangible results were ever produced.”
Mahere cited several examples of questionable contracts previously awarded to Chivayo or companies linked to him. One such case involved a US$5.6 million payment purportedly for the development of a solar power plant in Gwanda, where the only visible result was a single makeshift structure referred to by critics as a “shack.” Another high-profile deal involved a US$40 million ballot paper printing contract that Mahere claims was plagued by delays and errors, ultimately disrupting both CCC and ZANU PF during the 2023 election period.
US$412 Million Cancer Equipment Deal Linked to Wicknell Chivayo Sparks Uproar Over Transparency and Inflated Costs
“They want to give him US$412 million for cancer treatment equipment. What do you think he will do?” Mahere asked, directly addressing Chivayo in a widely circulated social media post.
In the same statement, she posed several pointed questions to Chivayo: On what date did TTM Global Medical Exports tender for the supply of the equipment? Was there ever a public call for tenders, and if so, where is the official record? What justifies the US$412 million valuation?
Perhaps most concerning is the background of TTM Global Medical Exports itself. Mahere revealed that the company was only registered in November 2024, making it less than a year old at the time the multi-million-dollar contract was awarded. She further alleged that the company’s registered address is listed as the Da Vinci Hotel and Suites in Johannesburg, raising suspicions that the firm may be a “briefcase company” with no real operational infrastructure.
“How does a newly formed entity, operating out of a hotel, qualify to supply specialized medical equipment worth nearly half a billion dollars?” Mahere asked. “Does it manufacture cancer treatment machines at the Da Vinci Hotel?”
Her remarks have intensified growing public unease over the apparent lack of due diligence, transparency, and competitive bidding in the awarding of the contract. Health sector experts and anti-corruption campaigners have echoed her concerns, calling on the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), the Office of the Auditor General, and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to launch a full investigation into the deal.
Critics argue that the government’s ongoing health sector crisis—marked by drug shortages, dilapidated hospitals, and lack of access to cancer diagnostics and treatment—should necessitate more stringent oversight of large-scale health investments, not blind trust in politically connected contractors.
“This deal reeks of cronyism,” said a senior healthcare policy analyst in Harare who requested anonymity. “How can such a critical procurement process bypass basic transparency requirements, especially when people are dying daily from treatable conditions like cancer?”
Neither Chivayo nor representatives from TTM Global Medical Exports have responded to the allegations or provided documentation confirming the firm’s capacity to deliver on the contract.
As outrage spreads across civil society, social media, and opposition circles, the scandal threatens to erode what little public trust remains in Zimbabwe’s procurement systems. For many, the deal is not just about the money—it’s about a health crisis being turned into a profit scheme for the politically connected while millions of citizens continue to suffer and die in underfunded hospitals.
Without urgent answers and accountability, critics warn that the cancer equipment contract could become yet another symbol of Zimbabwe’s deepening corruption crisis—one with deadly consequences.Chivayo.
