President Cyril Ramaphosa (second from right) with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (second from left) and Wicknell Chivayo (far right), who is wanted in connection with money laundering in South Africa. (Photo: Supplied) President Cyril Ramaphosa did not know that he would be meeting a businessman wanted by the law in South Africa when he visited Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his private farm on Sunday, his spokesperson said.
Controversy has erupted in Zimbabwe over the visit, especially about Ramaphosa associating with Mnangagwa’s rich cronies, particularly Wicknell Chivayo, a businessman who openly flaunts his wealth.
Chivayo’s assets have been frozen in South Africa, and he is being investigated by the Hawks for money laundering.
/file/attachments/orphans/unnamed_788064.jpg "President Cyril Ramaphosa with Zimbabwean Wicknell Chivayo (right), who is a wanted man in South Africa. (Photo: Supplied)")
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said at a press conference in Cape Town that it was understandable there were concerns about Ramaphosa being seen in a foreign country with “persons of interest to our law enforcement”.
But he insisted that Ramaphosa had been invited to Zimbabwe by Mnangagwa and had no prior knowledge of who would be at the meeting, which was “arranged to be a very informal, relaxed sort of engagement, albeit over serious issues concerning the two countries”.
Magwenya said reports had surfaced after the visit, identifying an individual who is a person of interest to SA law enforcement, who was also present during the visit.
“President Ramaphosa had no prior knowledge of who would be present during the visit, nor was he familiar with the said individual. The president flew to Zimbabwe for a meeting with his counterpart and nothing else,” Magwenya said.
“The president will further encourage our law enforcement agencies to continue with pursuing the matters that are under investigation involving these individuals, and to do so with no fear or any form of hesitation.”
Magwenya said Ramaphosa had not been aware of who Chivayo was until he returned to South Africa and his staff pointed out that an issue had arisen. Pictures posted on Zimbabwean WhatsApp groups show Ramaphosa meeting Chivayo and other business people close to Mnangagwa, including Kudakwashe Tagwirei, on the Zimbabwean president’s farm Precabe in Kwekwe in Midlands province.
/file/attachments/orphans/WhatsAppImage2026-05-06at1424451_245487.jpg "President Ramaphosa with Kudakwashe Tagwirei and Wicknell Chivayo on the right. (Photo: Supplied)")
Daily Maverick asked Magwenya to confirm considerable speculation in Zimbabwe that Ramaphosa had cautioned Mnangagwa about proceeding with plans to amend the country’s constitution to allow him to serve beyond his current term limit of 2028, until 2030.
The speculation has been that Mnangagwa’s efforts to extend his term are stirring discontent and possible instability in Zimbabwe, which could spill over into South Africa.
Magwenya said he was not at liberty to comment on exactly what the two presidents had discussed, except to say, “One would expect that all issues pertinent to developments in Zimbabwe would have been discussed.”
The two leaders would have “engaged quite deeply and quite thoroughly on issues of mutual and bilateral interest. So it would have been a very wide-ranging discussion considering that they retreated to President Mnangagwa’s farm. None of the officials was there trying to say, time is up, we need to go to the next commitment.”
Anti-immigrant protests
Magwenya also spoke about the recent wave of anti-immigrant protests and actions that have caused tensions with other African governments, including formal protests by Nigeria and Ghana.
On Tuesday, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo visited South Africa to meet Ramaphosa, also to discuss the issue. Magwenya said the two presidents had agreed that “ number one, South Africa is not xenophobic”.
“What you have are pockets of protest… You also have the reality that the issue of immigration is a pressure point, not only here in South Africa, but throughout the world, where protests are held on these issues.
“What is important from our perspective is obviously respecting the rights of everybody that is within our borders, and when we protest, to do so peacefully without causing harm to anybody.
“And in this regard, the president expects law enforcement to also play its role to prevent any acts of violence against any individual.”
Magwenya said that Chapo and Ramaphosa also “agreed that the continent needs to work together to address the issues that are behind these levels of migration that we see across our continent”.
“Issues of conflicts, issues of instability, and in some areas, if we’re being honest, the misgovernance that causes people to migrate in large numbers and seek refuge in different parts of the continent, including South Africa.
“And so, the condemnations that we’ve had, coming from the different countries on the continent, should not just end in condemnations, but there should also be willingness to constructively engage on … these issues and factors behind people seeking to leave their countries of birth and seeking refuge elsewhere.” DM