Business tycoon Sam Levy, owner of the posh Sam Levy’s Village in the leafy Borrowdale suburb in Harare, has died.
He was 82.
Levy died on Tuesday night after a long battle against an undisclosed ailment.
When NewsDay visited his offices in Borrowdale yesterday, the employees refused to give details, saying they had been instructed “not to make it (the death) public”.
Although details of Levy’s death and funeral arrangements were still sketchy by the time of going to print last night, a woman who only identified herself as his secretary, confirmed the death, but refused to give her name.
“Yes, I can confirm that Levy died last night, but since the family has requested not to make it a public issue, I won’t say anything further than that,” she said.
At Levy’s house in the same neighbourhood, journalists were denied entry as the security officers maintained the family needed its privacy.
“You are not allowed to be here because this is a family issue,” said a security officer.
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Levy built the lavish Borrowdale office and shop complex in the late 1990s without council approval, but the matter was resolved following the intervention of then Senior Minister of Local Government Joseph Msika.
The building faced demolition, but Harare City Council later regularised the massive structure.
In October 2000, Levy, who was believed to have been well connected to Zanu PF “bigwigs”, escaped with a $200 fine for importing 50 motorcycles inscribed “Police” without authority.
He, however, lost his Lilfordia Farm on the outskirts of Harare during the land reform programme, but retained his massive farmhouse built on a hill.
