Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has broken his silence over claims that a luxury Range Rover he gifted to advocate Lewis Uriri amounted to a bribe, sharing a video on Facebook that he says sets the record straight.
The clip, posted on September 24, 2026, shows Uriri speaking directly to the camera while walking down what appears to be courthouse steps.
In the footage, the lawyer explains the legal proceedings he had just been part of, offering a detailed rundown of the arguments made before the court.
Chivayo shared the video to demonstrate that Uriri is counsel for the opposing side in a high-profile constitutional case, making the timing of the gift the central controversy.
Who is Lewis Uriri and what case is he handling?
Uriri is representing the President of Zimbabwe, the Minister of Justice, and the Attorney General in proceedings brought by the War Veterans, who are seeking direct access to the Constitutional Court to challenge a constitutional amendment relating to the direct election of the president.
In the video, Uriri laid out four key grounds on which he asked the court to dismiss the application.
He argued that the applicants failed to comply with procedural rules, did not establish their legal standing or any recognisable interest in the matter, failed to justify why the Constitutional Court and not the High Court should hear the matter at first instance, and that the citation of the President was, in his words, “simply mischievous.”
“The President has no interest… there’s no justification for involving him in these things because his function was already defended and no one has challenged that the President was wrong in ascenting,” Uriri said.
Why Chivayo says the gift was not a bribe
By sharing the video, Chivayo appeared to be making the case that gifting a car to a lawyer who is representing the government against a challenge not representing Chivayo himself cannot be construed as an attempt to influence the outcome of any case involving him personally.
“Any insinuation that my proposed gift to Advocate Lewis Uriri SC was some attempt to bribe, influence or improperly induce him is completely absurd. It is perhaps one of the most foolish conclusions anyone could manufacture from a simple and straightforward gesture of appreciation. Yes, I openly admit that the timing was unfortunate. Had I known that Advocate Uriri was presently appearing for another party in proceedings involving interests associated with me, common sense dictates that I would never have offered him anything at that particular time,” said Chivayo.
He further stated that he did not know Uriri was representing the President in court and maintained he had no issues with him.
“I am a successful businessman, not a lawyer. I have enormous business interests and major projects across several jurisdictions competing for my attention every single day. I do not wake up checking court rolls, studying pleadings, following filing dates or asking which advocate is appearing in which matter. That is precisely why I employ lawyers,” he added.
See his post below:
The video drew significant reaction online, with many viewers siding with the argument that the issue was one of optics and timing rather than corrupt intent.
@Haille Thee Churu:
“Well spelt…. The gift was good, but surely the timing was wrong. Especially that the Advocate is representing the other party… Well said.”
@Natty Saves said:
“Sir Wicknell, well articulated. You have set the record straight – it was bad timing, not bad intention.”
@Zimbabwe Breaking News Official:
“Whenever you see an attorney’s stance based on claims that the complainant didn’t submit the papers in time, run.”
@Loveness Chirairo said:
“Our silence is so eloquent.”
@Brian Mabutus said:
“Loud and clear! Just bad timing. We move! 💪”
@Sirr Titus Mapisarema Kandawasvika said:
“Respect war veterans with their opinion; the court will decide.”
