Fact-Check: Fact-Check: Did Zimbabwean Inventor Sangulani Chikumbutso Invent a ‘Fuel-Free’ Car That only use Radio Frequency?
Claim: A video has been circulating widely on social media, claiming that Zimbabwean inventor Maxwell Chikumbutso created a hypersonic energy device and motorbike designs powered by radio frequencies.
The video, along with accompanying text, also asserts that Chikumbutso’s alleged inventions surpass those of Tesla and the entire Silicon Valley, even claiming that not even Chinese technological prowess comes close. The text reads:
“Proof that we Africans can actually be quite smart. This motor vehicle invention in Zimbabwe ???????? beats all the work of Tesla and the entire Silicon Valley combined. Not even the Chinese come anywhere close. They even tried to kill him (the inventor) but when God says yes, no one can say no. ????????”
Another claim on social. Media, especially on WhatsApp claims: ”Africans need to patronize our own after OM come Q1. This vehicle ???? will be launched on the 10th February, 2025. No fuel, no electricity talk less of charging. It is a self propelled car ????”
The video shows Chikumbutso showcasing his claimed inventions to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at what some media say was the State House in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. Chikumbutso asserts that the Saith FEV (hypersonic device) requires no fuel, no recharging, and no external input, claiming it is a fully self-powering electric vehicle that runs entirely on radio waves.
Verification: To verify the claim, PRNigeria fact-checked reports about Chikumbutso’s alleged inventions from local Zimbabwean media.
According to one of the country’s newspapers, Harare News, Chikumbutso’s Saith FEV Car and Hypersonic Energy Device have faced scrutiny and allegations of deception.
Chikumbutso was labeled a “bogus inventor,” with many accusing him of misleading the president and fabricating his inventions. Zimbabweans alleged that Chikumbutso purchased an electric vehicle and a Browey portable power station, presenting them to President Mnangagwa at State House while falsely claiming them as his own creations.
Read Also:
Further investigation by PRNigeria revealed that Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono, an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist and fellow at Harvard, criticized Chikumbutso’s alleged inventions in a Facebook post.
Rugoho-Chin’ono said he conducted a reverse image search on Chikumbutso’s supposed hypersonic device and found that it was being sold on Amazon for $109.
He revealed that the device was actually created by a company called Browey, which unveiled it on August 9, 2023. Rugoho-Chin’ono expressed disbelief that state media in Zimbabwe had reported on Chikumbutso’s claims, suggesting it was an attempt to end fuel problems. He also criticized the president for allegedly hiring “unqualified relatives and friends”, who couldn’t spot out Chikumbotso’s bogus claim.
Furthermore, PRNigeria‘s fact-check conducted a reverse image search on the alleged inventions and found a similar product on Amazon, a Browey Portable Power Station (1000 with a built-in solar panel, 614WH/19300mAh LifePO4 Battery pack, and solar generator with AC/DC/USB/PD output, designed for outdoor camping, RV travel, and emergency preparedness).
In another independent investigation, PRNigeria discovered that the car Chikumbutso displayed to President Mnangagwa at the State House was a Kaiyi X3 Pro electric vehicle powered by a lithium-ion phosphate battery.
Conclusion: findings by PRNigeria reveal controversies trailing the inventions claim including the fact that Chikumbutso purchased a Kaiyi X3 Pro electric vehicle and fabricated it with a Browey portable power station.
PRNigeria concludes that the claim that Zimbabwean inventor Maxwell Chikumbutso has created a Saith FEV, a “fully self-powering electric vehicle powered entirely by radio waves,” is false.
By PRNigeria
