Exiled Chimurenga music icon Thomas Mapfumo has backed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa and blasted the opposition members of parliament who accepted US$40 000 loans from the government.

Parliament offered US$40 000 housing loans to each sitting member, US$500 000 for individual ministers and US$350 000 for their deputies and most of CCC MPs accepted the offer.

Chamisa described the lawmakers' move to accept the loans as unethical and immoral before threatening to punish them if they do not return the money.

The opposition leader feels the money could have been directed towards the struggling health care system.

In a video that has gone viral, Mapfumo said the CCC MPs betrayed the people by accepting the loans, they were not different from corrupt Zanu PF officials and they should not have accepted the loans.

"I hear you CCC MPs saying Mnangagwa is stealing public funds with his administration and today you have accepted his bribes.

"So you have joined him in stealing public funds? Those US$40 000 you are giving each other whilst the people are suffering, where are you getting the money?

"Are you still working for the people or have you joined the corrupt officials? You are also corrupt. You say Chamisa is bad, you say you deserve that money, did you work for it? What have you done to deserve the money? Why are you taking the US$40 000s ?

All the loans have a total of US$14 million.

Meanwhile, some critics have also questioned why parliamentarians were not approaching banks to access loans.

Some criticised why they chose to reward themselves when the country is riddled with problems that could be solved by the large paycheck they have reserved for themselves.