HARARE
–
Controversial
businessman
Wicknell
Chivayo
has
announced
he
will
donate
USD$3.6
million
to
all
360
members
of
parliament
and
senators,
saying
he
received
personal
approval
from
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
for
the
gesture.
The
disclosure
will
raise
questions
about
the
timing,
coming
weeks
before
legislators
are
expected
to
vote
on
a
contentious
constitutional
amendment
bill
that
would
extend
the
president’s
term
in
office.
In
a
lengthy
social
media
statement
published
on
Saturday,
Zimbabwe’s
46th
Independence
Day,
Chivayo
said
he
would
hand
over
the
funds
to
the
Speaker
of
Parliament
Jacob
Mudenda
next
week,
with
each
MP
and
senator
in
the
360-member
chamber
receiving
USD$10,000
for
use
towards
“constituency
development.”
The
reference
to
“the
principal”
–
a
term
Chivayo
has
previously
used
publicly
to
refer
to
President
Mnangagwa
–
means
the
donation
carries
the
implicit
endorsement
of
the
head
of
state.
The
President’s
Office
had
not
responded
to
requests
for
comment
at
the
time
of
publication.
Chivayo,
who
has
built
his
fortune
largely
through
government
contracts,
said
the
offer
extended
to
opposition
MPs
as
well
as
those
from
Zanu
PF,
framing
it
as
an
Independence
Day
“olive
branch.”
However,
he
added
a
pointed
caveat:
MPs
who
declined
the
money
would
have
no
objection
to
him
channelling
the
funds
instead
to
a
“competent
and
pro-development
individual”
from
their
constituency,
putting
pressure
on
legislators
to
accept.
“If
any
Honourable
MP
is
unwilling
to
accept
this
offer,
they
are
at
liberty
to
do
so
–
that’s
democracy,”
he
wrote.
“In
such
instances
however,
there
will
be
no
harm
in
me
identifying
a
competent
and
pro-development
individual
from
your
constituency,
whether
a
former
MP,
a
shadow
MP,
or
aspiring
leader,
who
can
take
up
the
responsibility
of
driving
this
development
forward.”
The
announcement
comes
as
parliament
prepares
to
deliberate
on
Constitutional
Amendment
(No.
3)
Bill
which
civil
society
groups
and
opposition
figures
have
vigorously
opposed,
arguing
it
is
designed
to
entrench
executive
power
and
extend
President
Mnangagwa’s
tenure
beyond
constitutionally
prescribed
limits.
Critics
of
the
bill
–
including
the
Defend
the
Constitution
Platform,
the
Constitutional
Defenders
Forum
and
the
National
Constitutional
Assembly
–
formally
withdrew
from
parliamentary
hearings,
warning
that
the
process
is
being
driven
by
partisan
interests
rather
than
genuine
public
consultation.
Chivayo
did
not
reference
the
amendment
bill
in
his
statement.