Zimbabwe’s heated debate over Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo’s decision to accept controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s reported US$1 million performance package has intensified, with family members and prominent public figures offering sharply contrasting views on the veteran musician’s choice.
The latest intervention came from Kurai Makore, Mapfumo’s nephew and leader of the Black Lions band, who appealed to Zimbabweans to stop attacking the 81-year-old Chimurenga legend over what he described as a legitimate business decision.
Mapfumo recently confirmed he had accepted Chivayo’s invitation to perform at Jah Prayzah’s wedding and at Chivayo’s birthday celebrations, insisting that he was simply being paid for his work as a musician rather than receiving a personal gift.
Makore, who has been identified by Mapfumo as the heir to his Chimurenga music legacy, said critics should respect the veteran artist’s independence.
“I have been seeing a lot of negative energy directed towards my uncle and that alone does not make me happy,” Makore said.
“Some people have been calling my father figure a sell-out and I think they should withdraw those statements.”
He argued that Chivayo was recognising one of Zimbabwe’s greatest musicians and questioned what many of the online critics had done to support Mapfumo throughout his career.
“We need to be fair and allow our legend to make his own decisions. He has made his choice and we should respect it,” he said.
Makore also dismissed criticism directed at him for supporting his uncle’s return to Zimbabwe, saying he would continue defending both his family and Mapfumo’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Chivayo has continued raising the stakes, declaring that Mapfumo is now “a confirmed and official millionaire in US dollars.”
Beyond the reported US$1 million performance package, Chivayo publicly pledged to give the musician a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series ZX and offered to purchase him a house in Borrowdale, saying the property would allow him and his friends to enjoy private performances from the Chimurenga icon. He said the title deeds would be registered solely in Mapfumo’s name.
However, the deal has continued to divide opinion.
UK-based lawyer and political commentator Brighton Mutebuka said while he opposed efforts to “cancel” Mapfumo, he believed the musician had made a serious mistake.
“The unerring verdict is that the great, iconic figure of Mukanya has stumbled and made a monumental error of judgment,” Mutebuka wrote.
He argued that Mapfumo’s reputation had been built over decades of resisting political patronage and corruption, making his acceptance of Chivayo’s offer particularly painful for many Zimbabweans.
According to Mutebuka, the value of Mapfumo’s reputation outweighed any financial reward.
“What was valuable, priceless, was his clean and untainted reputation,” he wrote, arguing that Chivayo had succeeded in attaching himself to one of Zimbabwe’s few remaining widely respected cultural figures.
At the same time, Mutebuka said Mapfumo’s decades of sacrifice and contribution to Zimbabwe’s struggle against oppression should not be erased because of a single decision.
He said he would continue to celebrate classics such as Tinofara, Mamvemve and Nyoka Musango, describing the musician’s historical contribution as immense despite his disagreement with the latest development.
The controversy has also generated wider debate after Nehanda Radio columnist Gabriel Manyati argued that Zimbabweans demand impossible moral standards from ageing cultural icons while accepting compromise in almost every other sphere of society.
Manyati questioned why artists are expected to reject financial security in old age when politicians, businesspeople and ordinary citizens routinely make pragmatic decisions to survive.
He argued that accepting payment for performances does not automatically amount to political endorsement and suggested that many Zimbabweans were mourning “an idealised version” of Mapfumo rather than responding to proven evidence that he had abandoned his long-held convictions.
As reactions continue to pour in, the controversy has evolved into a broader national conversation—not only about Thomas Mapfumo’s decision, but also about legacy, patronage, artistic independence and the expectations Zimbabweans place on the public figures they regard as heroes.
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