Sir Wicknell Chivayo withdraws US$3.6 million donation to MPs following public backlash, promises US$5 million donation to Zanu PF provinces instead

HARARE – Wicknell Chivayo has withdrawn his controversial US$3.6 million pledge to Members of Parliament and Senators but immediately upped the stakes, announcing a revised US$5 million donation to be channelled through Zanu PF’s provincial structures – a remarkable pivot that transforms what began as a public rebuke into a windfall for the ruling party.

In a lengthy statement published on social media, Chivayo said he had listened to concerns raised by the Zanu PF Youth League that the donation could be interpreted as a bribe, but stopped well short of a full concession, insisting his original pledge had been made “in good faith” to celebrate Zimbabwe’s 46th independence anniversary and was “purely developmental in nature and never political.”

“There was never any intention whatsoever for that gesture to be misconstrued or sensationalised as an attempt to create parallel structures or to influence the august house for any actual or perceived outcome.”

Chivayo’s pledge, which would have amounted to $10,000 for each MP and Senator in the 360-member chamber, came just a month before lawmakers are set to vote on controversial constitutional amendments tabled by Zanu PF which are being vigorously opposed by the opposition, churches and civil society groups.

Chivayo, who is one of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s most prominent and vocal business allies, acknowledged in the statement that his approach may have been misjudged.

“As a political novice, I acknowledge that there are structures and protocols which perhaps I ought to have observed and consulted,” he said. “In hindsight, I recognise that the channel through which the pledge was communicated was probably not the best and I could have given better consideration to the timing of my pledge.”

He expressed “deepest regret” for the fallout – but within the same breath announced the enlarged pledge, framed as a refinement rather than a retreat.

“I am pleased to announce that I have refined my position and now extend a revised pledge of USD5 million, subject to further consultation with the appropriate party structures,” he said. “This support can be channelled through provincial chairpersons as USD500,000 across each of the country’s 10 provinces in order to drive grassroots development initiatives that directly benefit our communities.”

The statement also carried a pointed sub-text directed at the Youth League, suggesting the public nature of their rebuke had been unnecessary.

“I remain of the considered view that as comrades within the same revolutionary ruling party, such matters are best addressed through internal dialogue,” Chivayo said.

“Nothing would have prevented a direct conversation to guide and correct me where necessary, particularly given my non-involvement in day-to-day party structures,” he protested.

The development adds a new dimension to a controversy that had already exposed significant fault lines within Zanu PF.

The Youth League, in a statement signed by deputy secretary for youth affairs John Paradza, had warned parliament to refuse the original donation, saying it “cannot be seen as being bought or swayed through donations be it in cash or kind, that appear transactional.”

The rebuke was widely read as doubly pointed given the party is simultaneously pushing Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill through parliament – legislation that critics say would, among other things, strip voters of the direct presidential election and extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years.

By rerouting the money through provincial chairpersons rather than parliament, Chivayo sidesteps the institutional concerns raised by the Youth League while ensuring the funds flow directly into the ruling party’s grassroots machinery.

Chivayo claimed to have spent in excess of US$200 million on charity and humanitarian work across Zimbabwe and Africa over the past three years alone. His ties to businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei – who is widely rumoured to have presidential ambitions – and his prominent role as a government contractor have kept him at the centre of Zimbabwe’s political economy even as he insists he has no political aspirations.

“I am not a politician and I do not aspire to become one. Never!!” he said.