Helicopter crash near Harare kills Wicknell Chivayo and his wife

A helicopter crash near Harare has killed Wicknell Chivayo, one of Zimbabwe’s most visible businessmen, along with his wife, Lucy Muteke, and four others. The aircraft went down in the Marondera rural area on Wednesday evening, about 70km east of the capital, and police said all six people on board died.

Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths to state broadcaster ZBC and said the family was devastated by the tragedy. Government spokesman Nick Mangwana said the helicopter was carrying a prominent businessman, three other passengers and two pilots, and later posted that there were no survivors.

ZBC reported that the group had been travelling from Gandami in Chikomba, where Chivayo and his wife were building a rural home, when the helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm about 40 minutes after take-off. Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the crash happened at about 17:00 local time, and emergency services were sent to the scene that evening. The cause was not immediately known, and investigations were under way.

Chivayo was managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe and had built a high public profile through government contracts, philanthropy and frequent displays of wealth on social media. He was known for a lavish lifestyle, close ties to African presidents and business deals that repeatedly attracted scrutiny. He denied allegations of wrongdoing linked to his business dealings.

Among the best-known ventures linked to him was a $172m solar power project in Gwanda, awarded to Intratrek by the state-owned Zimbabwe Power Company. The project later became the subject of years of legal disputes. He also came under scrutiny over the procurement of materials for Zimbabwe’s disputed 2023 elections. Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption commission investigated allegations surrounding contracts awarded to South African company Ren-Form, but closed the inquiry in 2025, saying it had found no evidence linking Chivayo or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to wrongdoing.

Widely known as Sir Wicknell, Chivayo used the title publicly and on social media, although he was never given a British knighthood. He also became known for giving away luxury cars and large sums of money to musicians, religious leaders and other public figures, usually with the gifts displayed online.

His reach extended well beyond Zimbabwe. Kenya’s President William Ruto, who had previously appeared in public with Chivayo, paid tribute to him as a dear friend and sent condolences to the families of those killed. Ruto said he would remember him for his friendship, his energy and his belief in the possibilities of the continent.

Chivayo also publicised photographs of meetings with other African leaders, including Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan and Eswatini’s King Mswati III. For years, that visibility was part of his brand. Now it sits alongside a crash that left six people dead and investigators with an unanswered question.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com