Chivayo offers Mapfumo US$500K to perform at Jah Prayzah's wedding

Businessman Wicknell Chivayo has pledged to pay legendary musician Thomas Mapfumo US$500,000 to perform at Jah Prayzah's planned wedding in August as part of celebrations marking the award-winning artist's birthday.

Chivayo made the announcement in a social media post in which he celebrated Jah Prayzah's birthday by gifting him a 2026 Ford Ranger Platinum and US$250,000 in cash.

In the same message, Chivayo revealed what he described as the wedding gift that would give him the greatest satisfaction.

"However, there is one wedding gift that would give me the greatest pleasure of all. If the wedding is there, I will be happy for you to invite the LEGENDARY Thomas ‘MUKANYA' Mapfumo, your MBIRA mentor and one of Africa's greatest CHIMURENGA MUSIC icons, to perform on your special day," he wrote.

Chivayo pledged to personally pay Mapfumo US$500,000 in cash if he accepts the invitation to perform at the wedding.

He added that should the performance not materialise, he would instead invite Mapfumo to perform at his own birthday celebration and pay the music icon US$1 million.

"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 in my own backyard on my birthday and pay him US$1 million," Chivayo said.

He said it would be an honour for the Chimurenga music legend to retire as a millionaire and perform what he described as his final bira "in style."

Mapfumo, one of Zimbabwe's most celebrated musicians and a pioneer of Chimurenga music, has not publicly responded to Chivayo's offer.