There was no mind or will of God – Mai Guti speaks on turning down Chivayo’s Land Cruiser, US$250,000 gift

By Staff Reporter

Eunor Guti, widow of the late ZAOGA founder and Archbishop Professor Ezekiel Guti, has spoken out on her decision to reject a brand-new 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser VXR 300 Series and US$250,000 in cash gift from controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo.

The offer, made in May and publicised by Chivayo on his social media platforms, was framed as a tribute to the late Archbishop Ezekiel Guti. Chivayo stated that the vehicle had been fully paid for and was ready for delivery, pending approval by the church’s governing board.

“Ordinarily, I would say, please go and see Farai, but Farai from Faramatsi Motors, Club Chambers Showroom, along 4th Street, will come to you and deliver your 2025 brand new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series VXR, which is fully paid for and ready for delivery, subject to the Church’s Governing Board’s consent. Furthermore, please accept USD250,000 in CASH for fuel and your personal use,” he wrote on his social media pages.

However, Guti said accepting the gift would have been a betrayal of her values and those of her late husband.

“There was no mind or will of God in it,” she told her congregation during a recent address.

“They can use that money somewhere else. We don’t want it, not even for our church projects.”

The gesture sparked division among church leaders, with some urging her to accept and others warning it would damage the church’s reputation due to the questionable origins of Chivayo’s wealth.

“Someone I don’t even know was sent to plead with me to accept the offer,” she recounted.

“This man was very serious, trying to push me into accepting. I told him I needed to pray, but I already knew I was going to say no.”

Guti said she informed the Day-to-Day Board at ZAOGA’s headquarters that she would not accept the Land Cruiser, explaining that she already owned one and saw no need for a new vehicle.

She added, “We have never seen our father receiving that kind of money. How can we start doing that now?

“We’re not desperate. We will not take money we do not understand.”

"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲..𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲," 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗶 𝗚𝘂𝘁𝗶 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘆𝗼'𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿… pic.twitter.com/dIXSSJPxJi

— NewZimbabwe.com (@NewZimbabweCom) July 30, 2025

Guti said the church was recently approached with a separate offer of US$2 million by another individual. She turned that down as well, saying it did not align with what she felt was God’s will.

Chivayo, known for flaunting luxury car donations to clergy and politicians, has remained a polarising figure due to his links to questionable state tenders and source of wealth.