Zimbabwean Businessman Wicknell Chivayo, Wife Killed in Helicopter Crash

Prominent Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, have died in a helicopter crash that killed all six people on board in Marondera, east of Harare. Zimbabwean authorities confirmed the crash, while Chivayo’s family confirmed the deaths of the couple.

The helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm in the Marondera rural area at about 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, shortly after taking off from Gandami in Chikomba, where Chivayo and his wife were building a rural home. Police said six people were on board, including two pilots.

Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo said the family was devastated by the tragedy. The identities of the other people who died were still being processed as authorities and forensic experts worked at the crash site.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe said investigators recovered the aircraft’s black box intact on Thursday. Preliminary findings indicated that fuel spilled when the helicopter hit the ground before a fire spread across the surrounding grass. Officials stressed that the exact cause of the crash had not yet been established.

Chivayo, 43, was widely known in Zimbabwe for his business interests, philanthropy and high-profile lifestyle. He was managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe and became particularly prominent through government-linked contracts, including a $172 million solar power project in Gwanda that became the subject of lengthy legal disputes.

His business dealings had also attracted public scrutiny. Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption commission investigated allegations surrounding contracts for election materials supplied by South African company Ren-Form but closed the inquiry in 2025, saying it found no evidence linking Chivayo or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to wrongdoing.

Known publicly as “Sir Wicknell”, although he did not hold a British knighthood, Chivayo frequently posted about luxury cars, cash gifts and meetings with prominent African figures. He had also appeared publicly with leaders including Kenya’s William Ruto, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa paid tribute to Chivayo, saying he had met the businessman just a day before the crash. Kenya’s President William Ruto also described Chivayo as a friend and expressed condolences to the families of all those killed. Investigations into the crash remain ongoing.