Phillip Chiyangwa, you either love him or hate him but there’s one thing that is certain; you will definitely know who he is. He is a very controversial figure, but that hasn’t stopped him becoming one the most successful business people in Zimbabwe and why should it. After seeing the “king of Selfies” aka Mdara Pfidza rolling in state of the art “machines” as he calls his high performance exotic cars, one would wonder if the Chiyangwas of this world were conceived in a natural birth process and if they also have red blood in their veins. Well, here is a bit about Chiyangwa to put you at ease and assure you that he is human like you and me, well that’s a lie. Not exactly like you and me, you see Chiyangwa is also worth a couple of millions.

  1. Chiyangwa was born on the third of February in 1959 in Chegutu. His father is called Divaris Makaharis and his mother is named Marita Mandivenga. He is the 7th child in a family of 14
  2. Chiyangwa says he was a vegetable vendor at some point
  3. Chiyangwa’s first job was working as a garden boy for a Portuguese family.
  4. Chiyangwa once worked at Dunlop Zimbabwe as an industrial engineering trainee
  5. His initial business was Phids Electric Sounds, in Chitungwiza. This was a disco which Chiyangwa says was very famous in Chitungwiza and always had many patrons.
  6. Chiyangwa was once Hosiah Chipanga’s manager and also managed many other artists back in the days. He says he always had a passion for music and is still in the music promotion business. Chiyangwa is also famous for his affiliation with top artists like Jah Prayzah aka Mukudzei Mukombe. They have recorded selfies together and in 2012 Mdara Pfidza Bought Jah Prayzah’s album Tsviriyo for 12 000 dollars. To say that was not enough he also bought the first copy of the Jah Prayzah’s Jerusalema Album for $ 30 000 which he paid with stands.
  7. In 1984 Chiyangwa was manufacturing and selling furniture and had formed a firm that is called Commercial Industrial Agency
  8. In 1993 Big Phil was the first black person to obtain a betting license in Zimbabwe and here is what he had to say “…the whites were after me. They wanted no black person in that industry. I was minting money; I had 43 branches throughout the country and employed more than 183 people. Mashonaland and Matabeleland Turf Clubs were after me, man. They were white-dominated and there were an enclave of classic white racists, diabolic and protective of their interests. They spent three years fighting me. Suddenly, I was fighting all white people because I had gotten deep into their enclave. I touched their raw nerve and white law firms came after me big time. Some blacks are apologetic to the whites because they don’t know these people. Most of them are coconuts for the whites to crush and eat. For whites to respect you, you must know that you are black, good and equal and as hungry for money as them.”
  9. Chiyangwa says that this clash with the whites is what fueled him to start the Affirmative Action Group together with Peter Pamire who is now late.
  10. Chiyangwa is a major share holder of over 40 companies 
  11. Chiyangwa is the Member of Parliament for Zvimba South under Zanu PF.
  12. Chiyangwa is also involved in football and is the current ZIFA and Cossafa President.

 

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