Zimbabwean Businessman Wicknell Chivayo and Wife Among Six Killed in Helicopter Crash

Prominent Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, have been confirmed dead following a helicopter crash in the country's Mashonaland East province, his family announced on Thursday. The aircraft went down on Wednesday evening in the Marondera rural area, approximately 70 kilometres east of the capital, Harare, killing all six people on board.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi stated that the helicopter crashed at roughly 17:00 local time, with six occupants aboard. According to government officials, two of the deceased were pilots operating the aircraft. The remaining four passengers included Chivayo, his wife, and two other individuals whose identities had not been immediately released by authorities.

Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths of the businessman and his wife to Zimbabwe's state broadcaster ZBC, describing the family as devastated and at a loss for words. The confirmation came after initial reports of the crash circulated widely on social media and through local news outlets, prompting an outpouring of reaction from across Zimbabwe and beyond.

According to ZBC, the group had been travelling from Gandami in the Chikomba district, where Chivayo and his wife were in the process of constructing a rural home. The helicopter reportedly crashed at Kudenga Farm approximately 40 minutes after take-off. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene on Wednesday evening, though the remoteness of the location complicated the initial response effort.

Government spokesman Nick Mangwana had earlier confirmed the incident through a post on the social media platform X, stating that the helicopter was carrying a prominent businessman, three other passengers, and two pilots. He added that information available at the time indicated there were no survivors. The cause of the crash remains unknown, and police have confirmed that a full investigation is under way.

Chivayo was the managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe and had cultivated a highly visible public profile through a combination of government contracts, philanthropic gestures, and conspicuous displays of wealth on social media. His business activities and personal life frequently attracted media attention, making him one of the most recognisable—and controversial—figures in Zimbabwe's contemporary business landscape.

Among his most significant and contentious ventures was a $172 million solar power project in Gwanda, awarded to Intratrek by the state-owned Zimbabwe Power Company. The deal became the subject of years of legal disputes, with questions raised about procurement processes and the delivery of the project. Chivayo consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing connected to his business dealings.

He also faced scrutiny over the procurement of materials for Zimbabwe's disputed 2023 elections. The country's anti-corruption commission investigated allegations surrounding contracts awarded to the South African company Ren-Form. However, the inquiry was closed in 2025, with investigators stating they had found no evidence linking Chivayo or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to any wrongdoing. The closure of the case did little to quiet public debate over the contracts, which had drawn significant attention from opposition parties and civil society organisations.

Widely known by the moniker "Sir Wicknell," Chivayo frequently used the title in public appearances and across his social media platforms, despite never having received a British knighthood. The self-styled honorific became a defining feature of his public persona, alongside his well-documented habit of distributing luxury cars and large sums of cash to musicians, religious leaders, and other public figures, often filming and publicising the gifts extensively online.

His influence and connections extended well beyond Zimbabwe's borders. He frequently publicised his access to African leaders, sharing photographs of meetings with heads of state including Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, and Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan, as well as Eswatini's King Mswati III. These images reinforced his reputation as a well-connected operator with friends in the highest echelons of political power across the continent.

Kenyan President William Ruto, who had previously appeared in public alongside Chivayo, paid tribute to the businessman, describing him as a dear friend and extending condolences to the families of all those killed in the crash. Ruto stated that he would remember Chivayo for his friendship, his energy, and his deep conviction in the possibilities of the African continent. The tribute underscored the extent of Chivayo's reach across East and Southern Africa.

Chivayo's repeated access to Ruto and Kenya's State House had previously drawn questions from Kenyan opposition figures, who raised concerns about the nature of the relationship and the implications of a foreign businessman enjoying such proximity to the presidency. Those questions reflect broader anxieties about the intersection of private business interests and political power in the region.

The crash has prompted renewed attention to aviation safety standards in Zimbabwe and across the region, where private helicopter travel is frequently used by wealthy individuals and officials to navigate areas with limited road infrastructure. Investigations into the incident are expected to focus on weather conditions, mechanical factors, and the operational history of the aircraft, though authorities have not yet released details on any of these elements.

For Zimbabwe, the death of Chivayo represents the loss of a figure who embodied both the ambitions and the controversies of the country's business environment. His ability to secure major state contracts while simultaneously cultivating a celebrity-like public image made him a polarising personality—admired by some for his generosity and derided by others for the opacity of his dealings. His death, alongside that of his wife and four others, leaves unanswered questions about his business empire and the network of relationships he built across the continent.