ASPIRING billionaire Wicknell Chivayo appears to have dug his own grave, less than a month after his company was awarded a lucrative Starlink deal to be the sole provider of  in Zimbabwe

Reacting to a viral audio leaked recently were Chivayo  bragged that  the President was under his wings, government  and Zanu PF spokespersons have issued  a veiled warning to Chivayo against flying too close to the sun, by abusing his proximity to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

In separate posts on X  Nick Mangwana   and Farai Marapira said Chivayo was forgetting that he was a nonentity in the political matrix of this country.

Mangwana said like Icarus Chivayo was flying too close to the sun, had quickly forgotten  that his wings were made from wax which would easily melt.

“Icarus was warned by his father not to fly too close to the sun, as the wax that his wings were made from would melt. But fueled by the adrenaline rush of flying , Icarus failed to rein in his excitement and felt he was the man of the moment. He did not heed the warnings, Icarus was so intoxicated by the experience of flying and never thought he could tumble from this loft height, so he flew higher and higher getting closer and closer to the sun. The closer he came to the sun, the more the wax in his wings melted. He tumbled into the sea and drowned,” said Mangwana.

Zanu PF spokesperson Farai Muroiwa Marapira weighed in saying pride comes before a fall.

A DUBAI-BASED company that specialises in Smart Traffic Management Systems (STMS), Vitronic Machine Vision Middle East, will initially invest between US$60 to 80 million in installation of the Smart Traffic Management System

Cabinet has approved the engagement of Vitronic Machine Vision Middle East in implementing an SMTS in Zimbabwe following a report presented by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister Kazembe Kazembe.

The company visited the country recently to carry out a feasibility study and engage key stakeholders.

The project will be implemented under a Public-Private-Partnership model and will, at inception, be implemented in Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces.

“The installation of the Smart Traffic Management System will benefit Zimbabwe in a number of ways including the following: enforcement of the law by bringing to book all traffic regulation violators; reduction of road carnage; reduction of traffic congestion in the Central Business District; reduction in corruption as there will be minimal human intervention; improved revenue streams for Government which will be used to improve policing; and improved national security as intelligent cameras will be installed and linked to the database of stolen vehicles and wanted criminals,” reads part of Kazembe’s report.

The company will recover its investment from fines paid for traffic violations through a revenue sharing arrangement.

The company has installed similar systems in a number of countries including Morocco, Rwanda, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany and Belarus.

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has licensed Starlink to operate in Zimbabwe.

The following is Mnangagwa’s announcement on his official X handle today.

One of the strategic pillars that anchor the 2nd Republic’s developmental agenda under Vision 2030 is innovation, science and technology. Prioritization of the digital economy and the emerging importance of technology in our day to day activities requires Government to lead from the front in providing an environment where investment in technology is promoted.

In this vein, I’m pleased to announce that I have approved the licensing of Starlink by POTRAZ to provide advanced internet and related digital processing services in Zimbabwe through its sole and exclusive local partner, IMC Communications (Pvt) Ltd. Starlink @Starlink is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite operator wholly owned by global conglomerate Space X led by promiment multi-billionaire @ElonMusk.

The entry by Starlink in the digital telecommunications space in Zimbabwe is expected to result in the deployment of high speed, low cost, LEO internet infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe and particularly in all the rural areas. This will be in fulfillment of my Administration’s undertaking to leave no one and no place behind. The investment confidence expressed by Starlink in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications infrastructure also dovetails with the 2nd Republic’s mantra, “Zimbabwe is open for business”. I encourage more investment by foreign conglomerates in Zimbabwe as we are an investment destination of choice.

I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe, to congratulate IMC Communications (Pvt) Ltd and Starlink on this commendable milestone aimed at revolutionizing the digital and communications technology landscape in Zimbabwe. Investments of this magnitude and strategic importance represent the cornerstone for achieving the 2nd Republic’s objective of having a fully digitalized, upper-middle income economy by 2030.