By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Chimurenga music icon Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo has defended his decision to accept businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s reported US$1 million gift and performance deal.
Mapfumo insisted that his commitment to human rights activism remains unwavering, rejecting accusations that he has “sold out” or abandoned the principles that made him Zimbabwe’s foremost protest musician.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, Mapfumo sought to quell a wave of criticism after it emerged that he had accepted businessman Chivayo’s invitation to perform at two high-profile events — Jah Prayzah’s wedding in August and Chivayo’s birthday celebrations — for a combined fee of US$1 million.
The veteran musician said he had been inundated with messages from disappointed supporters and had watched as social media users branded him a hypocrite and a “sellout.”
“I have noticed that most Chimurenga music fans are unhappy with my decision to accept the gift.
“I have also seen the mocking cartoons that portray me as a hypocrite or a selfish and greedy man who accepts a doughnut to desert a starving family behind,” Mapfumo said.
Seeking to reassure supporters, Mapfumo insisted the gift had not altered his convictions.
“First, I am, and will always remain, a human rights activist.
“Accepting a gift from a fan does not mean that I have abandoned my cause or betrayed my people or my music.
“My beliefs remain unchanged, and my conscience is clear,” added Mapfumo.
The Chimurenga icon rejected suggestions that accepting Chivayo’s generosity amounted to endorsing Zimbabwe’s political establishment.
“In fact, I have not abandoned my principles, nor have I thrown anyone under the bus.
“Equally, accepting this gift should not be interpreted as validating or dismissing the grievances of ordinary Zimbabweans,” he said.
Mapfumo argued that many Zimbabweans had wrongly confused his activism with opposition politics.
“While I am an activist, I am not an opposition politician.
“The responsibility of contesting for political power and pursuing government reform belongs to opposition political leaders.
“I do not have a political party, but I fight for the people daily,” he said.
The Chimurenga legend maintained that his mission had always been to expose injustice through music and public advocacy rather than seek political office.
“I remain committed to advocating for human rights, freedom, equality, and social justice for as long as I live,” he said.
The veteran musician also questioned why he had become the focus of public outrage when numerous artists and religious leaders had previously accepted gifts from Chivayo without attracting comparable criticism.
“I am also not the first musician to accept such a gift.
“Many respected musicians — including Feli Nandi, Alick Macheso, Baba Manyeruke, Leonard Zhakata, the late Nicholas Zakaria, and others — have accepted similar gifts over the years,” he said.
He disclosed that he intended to donate “most of the proceeds to a local charity”, although he did not identify the beneficiary.
Mapfumo’s statement comes days after confirmation that he will return from his US base to perform at Chivayo’s birthday celebrations and Jah Prayzah’s reported August wedding, a development that has triggered one of the most divisive debates of his career.
The controversy has sharply polarised Zimbabweans along political lines.
Pro-Mapfumo supporters argued that Mapfumo had every right to benefit financially from his decades-long musical career, saying critics had unfairly imposed impossible moral expectations on an ageing artist who had sacrificed much in challenging successive governments.
Several social media users also questioned why other musicians who had accepted Chivayo’s gifts escaped similar scrutiny.
Critics, however, argued that Mapfumo’s acceptance of the gift undermined a legacy defined by confronting political power through Chimurenga music.
Some accused him of betraying the ideals embodied in classics such as Corruption, Mamwevme and Disaster, while others pointed to his previous public rejection of Chivayo’s assistance following a fire at his home, saying his latest decision appeared inconsistent with his earlier stance.
The backlash has unfolded largely across Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and WhatsApp, where some supporters defended his right to separate his art from partisan politics, while others insisted that, because of his stature as Zimbabwe’s foremost musical voice of resistance, his actions inevitably carry political significance.
Without directly addressing his earlier refusal of Chivayo’s assistance, Mapfumo maintained that accepting the gift did not amount to abandoning his principles.
“I have not sold out my conscience or my values, and I intend to remain true to them for the rest of my life,” he said.
He concluded by acknowledging the torrent of criticism while insisting that his lifelong commitment to speaking against injustice remained unchanged.
“The recent bad language directed against me due to the gift makes me feel like I intentionally threw the key to the liberation struggle onto a crocodile-infested Zambezi River.
“I remain a die-hard activist until the day I leave Mother Earth,” he said.
I
