// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Why Zimbabwe tycoon 'Sir Wicknell' was loved and hated in Africa
Wicknell Chivayo, who had a fleet of personalised luxury cars, loved white Rolls-Royces
Wicknell Chivayo, the Zimbabwean tycoon who died in a helicopter crash along with his wife Lucy Muteke last week, divided opinion in life and continues to do so in death.
He called himself "Sir Wicknell", a nod to the embellishment that epitomised his lifestyle - and a nickname some used for the 45-year-old who packed enough controversy into his short life to last several lifetimes.
He was relentlessly self-documenting, building much of his public persona on social media, where he posed with piles of cash and announced the cars and money he gave to people whom he considered deserving.
Chivayo delighted in displaying his access to heads of state across Africa and showing off his possessions, conducting video tours of his fleet of expensive cars, mainly Rolls-Royces, with vanity plates, watches and a vast collection of designer shoes.
His admirers saw a fabulously wealthy man sharing his good fortune. His detractors recoiled at the ostentatious displays, questioned the origins of his money and his political connections, and saw his lifestyle as a stark illustration of inequality.
But Chivayo remained tone-deaf to such criticism. As his fortunes rose, he became ever more unapologetic about flaunting his wealth in a country where nearly half the population lives below the international poverty line, according to the World Bank.
"He gave to those few on an island of wealth in a sea of poverty," Pedzisai Ruhanya, director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute think-tank, told the BBC, explaining how his donations were mainly to influential people.
He dismissed Chivayo's generosity as grandstanding for the ruling Zanu-PF party - an attempt to ensure the support of key politicians and even church leaders.
Nonetheless, there has been an outpouring of grief, especially from recipients of his largesse, and tributes from politicians, religious leaders and business figures.