Zimbabwean tycoon Wicknell Chivayo's private-jet celebration of Mnangagwa's 2030 term draws mixed reaction

A video of Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo celebrating aboard a private jet, a day after President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term extension took effect, has drawn a mixed reaction online.

The clip, which circulated on X, shows Chivayo in a white shirt and navy vest, singing about Mnangagwa remaining in office until 2030 against a backdrop of cream leather seats. The footage has not been independently verified.

Some of the reaction came from South Africa, home to a large Zimbabwean diaspora. While a number of users questioned the display of wealth given Zimbabwe's economic conditions, others pushed back, arguing that opposition to the government should be voiced at home rather than online.

Mnangagwa signed the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act on Tuesday. Nick Mangwana, a senior information ministry official, announced it on X with a copy of the act and the words "signed, sealed and delivered."

The law extends presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven, allowing the 83-year-old to stay in office until 2030 rather than 2028. It also shifts the election of the head of state from voters to parliament, a change from the direct-election provision introduced in 1987. Other measures expand the Senate from 80 seats to 90, move voter registration to the Registrar-General, and restructure senior judicial appointments.

The bill moved quickly. ZANU-PF resolved to pursue the extension in October 2025, cabinet approved the draft in February, and the National Assembly passed it 216 votes to 42 on June 18. The Senate followed within a week, 75 to four.

Opposition figures have criticised the package, with the lawyer Tendai Biti and activist Lovemore Madhuku among those questioning how it was passed. Some legal experts have asked whether the amendment can apply to Mnangagwa without a national referendum, citing the no-benefit provision in Section 328 of the 2013 constitution, and several challenges have been filed. The government maintains the changes will deliver the policy continuity needed to complete long-term development programmes.

Chivayo has been one of the most visible private supporters of the campaign to keep Mnangagwa in power, known in Zimbabwe as the 2030 Agenda. A prominent philanthropist, he donated 10 ambulances and 200,000 litres of diesel to the government in March, prompting Mnangagwa to praise him publicly, and has pledged $1 million toward repatriating Zimbabweans stranded in South Africa. On his 43rd birthday last November, he announced donations worth about $5.6 million, which he dedicated to strengthening national structures in support of Mnangagwa's Vision 2030.

His business interests span Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and China, and supporters describe him as a well-connected entrepreneur whose commercial success reflects that reach. Critics have at times linked his fortune to political patronage, pointing to state contracts such as the Gwanda solar project, though his companies are privately held and no full public accounting of his affairs has been published. Zimbabwean and South African outlets often describe him as a billionaire. He styles himself Sir Wicknell.

The country he was celebrating in continues to face challenges, including currency instability, high unemployment and inflation, in an economy where mining generates more than 60 percent of export earnings.

Whatever the video shows, it changes nothing about the law, which is already in force — but it has put Chivayo, and the wider debate over the 2030 Agenda, back in the spotlight while legal challenges play out in the courts.