‘Fortunately, there are a few good people still out there,’ says former minister.

HARARE — Former Finance Minister and prominent lawyer Tendai Biti has publicly praised Lewis Uriri for rejecting a lavish gift package worth US$350,000 from businessman Wicknell Chivayo.

Biti’s comments came after Uriri turned down Chivayo’s offer of a 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at US$250,000, US$50,000 in cash for fuel, and a further US$50,000 for his wife.

Chivayo announced the gifts in a public tribute, describing Uriri as an exceptional lawyer who had represented him with courage and commitment over the years.

Uriri subsequently declined the gifts, citing professional independence and the need to preserve public confidence in the legal profession.

Biti, who said he had known Uriri for years, revealed that he played a role in the senior advocate’s early career.

“I plucked him from law school and mentored him at Honey & Blankenberg,” Biti wrote in a post on X.

According to Biti, Uriri has since risen through the legal profession to become Senior Counsel and an accomplished academic.

He also revealed that Uriri is preparing volumes on constitutional law, which he believes will become important reference material for legal practitioners and academics.

“His soon-to-be-published volumes on constitutional law will be a must for every law library,” Biti said.

Biti described Uriri’s development as a source of pride for those who helped him at the beginning of his career.

“We are proud of the small part we played in his development,” he wrote.

‘Human beings make choices.’

The former minister then turned his attention to the decision that has placed Uriri at the centre of public discussion.

“Human beings make choices. “Deliberate, carefully considered choices,” Biti said.

He added that people who make what he described as wrong choices often provide explanations such as poverty or pressure.

Biti did not elaborate on who he was referring to, but his remarks came amid intense public debate over Chivayo’s high-value gifts to prominent Zimbabweans.

His message ended with an unambiguous expression of support for his former protégé.

“Fortunately there are a few good persons still out there. “Thank you, Lewis,” Biti wrote.

Uriri’s rejection has drawn attention because he did not simply decline the gifts without explanation.

He said he and his wife had carefully considered the offer and concluded that accepting benefits linked to past professional services could create a perception of financial obligation beyond a concluded and fully remunerated professional relationship.

He also pointed out that he and Chivayo had last spoken in June 2024 and that he had undertaken no professional work for the businessman since then.

The episode has consequently become a wider discussion about professional ethics, independence and the boundaries between generosity and professional relationships.