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.