Why Zimbabwe tycoon 'Sir Wicknell' was loved and hated in Africa

Details of his career following his release are murky, but he went into the energy business, becoming what one state-run newspaper described as a "tenderpreneur" -making money by getting government contracts.

He had an impressive camera roll, with snaps of him posing with other African presidents such as Nigeria's Bola Tinubu, external, Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan, external, Malawi's Peter Mutharika, external, Mozambique's Daniel Chapo, external, Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema, external and he was part of the delegation that met South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, external when he ed Mnangagwa's farm earlier this year."At home there has also been pushback against those who say speaking ill of the dead is un-African - as the topic of the tycoon's death is the trending topic in Zimbabwe these days.