Zimbabwean polarising businessman Wicknell Chivayo has made a headline-grabbing offer to legendary Chimurenga musician Thomas Mapfumo, pledging US$500,000 in cash if the music icon agrees to perform at Jah Prayzah’s rumoured wedding.
By Advent Shoko
The offer was announced in a lengthy birthday message celebrating Jah Prayzah, whose real name is Mukudzeyi Mukombe. Alongside birthday wishes, Chivayo presented the award-winning musician with a brand-new 2026 Ford Ranger Platinum and US$250,000 in cash, before revealing what he described as his dream wedding gift.
According to Chivayo, he has heard rumours that Jah Prayzah could be “getting married” in August. While joking that he would attend the ceremony whether invited or not, he said there was one gift he would be delighted to make possible.
“If the wedding is there, I will be happy for you to invite the legendary Thomas ‘Mukanya’ Mapfumo, your mbira mentor and one of Africa’s greatest Chimurenga music icons, to perform on your special day. If he accepts this invitation, I will personally pay him US$500,000 in cash for that performance,” Chivayo wrote.
The businessman said that if the wedding performance does not materialise, he would instead invite Mapfumo to perform at his own birthday celebration, where he pledged to pay the veteran musician US$1 million.
Chivayo said it would be a fitting tribute for one of Africa’s greatest musical legends to eventually retire from live performances as a millionaire after delivering what he described as a memorable final bira performance.
The latest offer is not the first time Chivayo has publicly attempted to honour Mapfumo. Previously, he offered the veteran musician a house in Zimbabwe and a luxury vehicle, but Mapfumo declined the gifts, saying accepting them would amount to betraying the people.
Mapfumo, widely regarded as the pioneer of Chimurenga music, has lived outside Zimbabwe for years and has remained one of the country’s most influential and outspoken artists. Jah Prayzah, meanwhile, has frequently credited the music legend as one of his biggest influences, incorporating mbira-inspired sounds into many of his hit songs.
Although Jah Prayzah has not publicly confirmed the reported wedding plans and Mapfumo is yet to respond to the latest proposal, Chivayo’s half-a-million-dollar pledge has already sparked widespread discussion on social media.
Should the performance happen, it would bring together two generations of Zimbabwean musical greatness on one stage in what could become one of the country’s most talked-about private entertainment events.
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