ZANU PF IS TRYING TO BUY ZIMBABWE’S DEMOCRACY

Zimbabweans must call this what it is. When Wicknell Chivayo stood up on Independence Day and announced that he would give US$3.6 million to members of parliament and the senate, this was not a simple act of kindness. It was not just charity. It was not national development. It was a political message, sent in full view of the nation. It showed how cheaply ZANU PF thinks our democracy can be bought.

The offer was US$10 000 for each legislator, covering 360 seats. That means the future of Zimbabwe was being placed under a price tag. This happened with the blessing of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to the statement. That alone should worry every citizen who still believes parliament must serve the people, not one man or one party.

Let us be honest. Chivayo is not an ordinary businessman giving quietly to communities. He is a politically connected man whose name has been tied to big government contracts. He calls Mnangagwa the principal. He has openly supported the push to extend Mnangagwa’s rule. Now he wants to give money to the same legislators who may soon be asked to vote on Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3.

That bill is not small. It is linked to the plan to keep Mnangagwa in office beyond 2028. Chivayo did not need to mention the bill. The timing spoke louder than any speech. When money is offered to lawmakers before such a serious constitutional vote, Zimbabweans have every right to question the real motive.

ZANU PF defenders will try to make this look clean. They will talk about boreholes, water projects, market stalls, and community needs. They will say parliament has accepted help before from foreign governments and international bodies. But there is a big difference between public support given through proper channels and money handed out by a politically connected businessman to individual legislators.

This is not the same thing.

The source of the money also raises serious concerns. Chivayo’s name remains linked to the Gwanda Solar Project, a huge contract that was supposed to help bring power to Zimbabwe. For years, ordinary people waited while the country stayed in darkness. Homes suffered blackouts. Businesses struggled. Families lost hope. Yet the same people linked to failed public projects now appear powerful enough to influence national politics.

This is why many Zimbabweans are angry. They see public money and political connections creating private wealth, while citizens remain poor. They see people close to power living in luxury while hospitals lack basics, schools suffer, and workers struggle to survive.

Even worse is the threat hidden inside the offer. Chivayo reportedly said that if any legislator refuses the money, he can find someone else in that constituency to receive it. That is not generosity. That is pressure. It tells lawmakers that if they refuse to cooperate, their political future can be attacked from the ground.

This is how democracy dies. Not always with guns. Sometimes it dies through money, fear, and silence.

Zimbabwe’s parliament must not become a department of State House. Legislators are elected to represent citizens, not rich men, not donors, and not political patrons. If they accept this money while facing a major constitutional decision, the people will ask whether their vote was guided by conscience or by cash.

The liberation struggle was not fought so that parliament could be bought. People did not suffer for independence so that one businessman could stand before the nation and place money between citizens and their representatives.

This donation must be rejected. Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3 must be defeated. Zimbabwe belongs to the people, not to ZANU PF, not to Mnangagwa, and not to any rich man trying to purchase our future.