By CloutBase | Harare July 13, 2026

Zimbabwean music legend Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo has accepted businessman Wicknell Chivhayo’s record-breaking US$1 million offer to perform two concerts in Zimbabwe, bringing to life a promise that began as a birthday pledge to Jah Prayzah and quickly became one of the country’s biggest entertainment talking points.

The Chimurenga music icon confirmed the development in a video shared online, revealing that he will return home to perform at Chivhayo’s birthday celebrations and at musician Jah Prayzah’s reported wedding.

“Ndati tikuudzei, tikuuya kuZimbabwe, tikuuya kuzoridza kubirthday raWicknell nemuchato waJah Prayzah,” Mapfumo said.

Responding to the announcement, Chivhayo celebrated the veteran musician’s decision, declaring that he would honour his commitment by paying US$500,000 per performance, making a total of US$1 million.

“Baba weMarudzi havana defeat,” Chivhayo wrote.

“I am pleased to announce that I will wholeheartedly honour my commitment by paying a record-breaking US$1 million for these two shows at US$500,000 per show. This will make the legendary Thomas Tafirenyi Mapfumo the highest-paid singer ever in the history of our beloved country.”

The announcement fulfils a pledge Chivhayo first made while publicly celebrating Jah Prayzah’s birthday, when he offered to pay Mapfumo US$500,000 if he agreed to perform at the musician’s anticipated wedding.

At the time, Chivhayo described the performance as the one wedding gift that would give him “the greatest pleasure.”

“If he accepts this invitation, I will personally pay him US$500,000 in cash for that performance. If, for whatever reason, that performance does not happen, I will still gladly invite him to perform for me and my family on my birthday and pay him US$1 million,” he wrote.

Following Mapfumo’s acceptance, Chivhayo said the payment was his way of recognising the Chimurenga icon’s immense contribution to Zimbabwean music and his role during the country’s liberation struggle.

He praised Mapfumo for producing music that has inspired generations of Zimbabweans while expressing hope that the legendary musician would eventually retire “as a millionaire.”

Mapfumo, however, made it clear that the payment was professional compensation rather than a handout, saying he would be earning the money by performing the two shows.

If both performances go ahead as planned, the deal is expected to become one of the biggest performance contracts ever publicly announced for a Zimbabwean musician, further cementing Mapfumo’s legendary status while adding another headline-grabbing chapter to Chivhayo’s growing list of high-profile gifts and sponsorships within Zimbabwe’s entertainment industry.