Zimbabwean veteran musician Thomas Mapfumo rejected a $500 000 (R10 million) offer on 18 March.
It was a topic of interest when Wicknell Chivayo offered Thomas Mapfumo what fans described as a challenging offer to deny. Rejecting a new car and house worth that much is not something only a few can make,
Indeed, the chimurenga musician is one of the few who could stand still and reject such a vast amount of money. After Chivayo shared the call he did with Mapfumo, his fans claimed that Mapfumo had accepted.
Surprisingly, it was all lies, but now Mapfumo had told his side of the truth, rejecting the offer. A fake account apologised, leaving fans divided, but after Mapfumo cleared the air, his fans celebrated.
“We know the true Thomas Mapfumo and what he stands for. We can’t be hoodwinked,” said a fan called @ArtherChatora.
WHY DID THOMAS MAPFUMO REJECT R10M?
Thomas Mapfumo made a video calling out artists who received cars from Zanu PF associate Wicknell Chivayo. Mapfumo called the artists poor and said they had no moral ground, citing economic challenges.
His video disappointed Chivayo, who regarded Mapfumo as his favourite Zimbabwean musician and offered him a massive offer. He asked Mapfumo to publicly apologise and get back to supporting the ruling party, something he did over three decades ago.
When most fans expected him to accept, that’s when the veteran musician rejected the offer.
MAPFUMO A MAN OF INTEGRITY
In his post rejecting R10 million from Wicknell Chivayo, Thomas Mapfumo cited his integrity as one thing money could not buy. He spoke of the fake account that accepted the offer, saying they wanted to ruin his reputation.
Thomas also openly claimed that some fans may believe he accepted something from Chivayo even with such a thing. “Not me. Fake account. Kune vanhu vakaipa kunze uko. I would never sell my integrity for a quick $. I never accepted anything from
@wicknellchivayo; they were just people trying to taint my reputation. Unfortunately, some will easily buy into the narrative 🤷🏿♂️” he rejected.
ZIMBABWEANS SIDE WITH MAPFUMO
After Thomas Mapfumo rejected R10 million, most fans sided with him, praising him.
@MutasaPeter “What about on YouTube? Which one is the official tire ku subscriber to fake ones”
@Gwakuba2 “Thank you, mukanya. I thought so, thus, not you, I know.”
@IanSmiththe3rd “I have blocked 🚫 that account same time pandangoona kuti hakuna Sekuru vangu Mukanya vakadaro ndakakurira Mbire Hwedza ana Mukanya ndovaziva ini 🥰📍🚶💣💥🔥”
@ChiefJudge01 “You are a man of honour & integrity. Over the years, you proved a tried& tested genuine lover of humanity£& stood with poor masses zvekuti. I do not doubt you, mukanya. Ndimi vanhu vekutanga kuona corruption in zim& makatanga kuona kuti the war was fought for selfish gains”
Zvanzi naMukanya handidye zvekuba! pic.twitter.com/IfAOkd9Iz3
— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) March 18, 2024
MAPFUMO’S JOURNEY
Indeed, it’s been a long journey for Thomas Mapfumo to be here today, rejecting a R10 million offer. The talented star played music during the liberation struggle, cheering the local soldiers to fight with colonisers.
He dedicated his life to communicating and motivating locals through his music and was among the most moved musicians. A few years after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, Mapfumo started singing what he saw, which was true.
Mapfumo sang about the rising corruption and the government’s lack of interest in human welfare. This did not sit well with some government officials, and he saw his music not playing on the radio; he faced some political persecution until he left the country.
He went abroad, and since then, he has been an activist speaking about the need to curb corruption in the country. All this had been what Wicknell Chivayo wanted Mapfumo to apologise publicly, but he refused.
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