Prominent Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy “Lulu” Muteke and three other people were killed when their helicopter crashed in rural Marondera on Wednesday evening.
The aircraft came down at Kudenga Farm near Waddilove, about 70km east of Harare, at roughly 5pm local time. Police and government officials said there were six people on board and that there were no survivors. Emergency workers and investigators were sent to the scene as relatives and police began the difficult task of identifying the victims.
Chivayo, who was 43, was one of Zimbabwe’s most recognisable businessmen. He built a large public following through photographs and videos showing luxury cars, private aircraft, expensive gifts and meetings with prominent political and religious figures. His death, together with that of his wife, brings an abrupt end to one of the country’s most closely watched public profiles.
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths of the couple. “We are at a loss for words after the tragic news,” he said.
In an earlier account, a family representative said the couple had spent the day at their rural home in Gandami, in Chikomba district in Chivhu, where work was under way on a large residential project. The family travelled by road while Chivayo and Muteke left by helicopter.
“Yes, we confirm that Wicknell Chivayo and his wife have perished in this tragedy. I am told the helicopter had five occupants,” the representative said.
“The other three were the two pilots and Mr Chivayo’s aide. “The bodies are still here at the scene. Some are burnt.”
The early family account put the number of people aboard at five, but official statements later confirmed six occupants. Government spokesman Nick Mangwana said the aircraft was carrying “one high-profile businessman, three other passengers, and two pilots”. Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi also said the helicopter had six occupants. However, Only five people have been accounted for – Chivayo, his wife Lulu, two pilots and the bodyguard.
“Current information indicates that there were no survivors in this crash,” Mangwana said.
The difference in the early accounts came as authorities worked at a remote crash site where the aircraft had caught fire. Officials initially withheld the names of the other victims while relatives were being contacted and formal identification procedures were carried out.
The helicopter had left Gandami at about 4:20pm. The journey to Harare was expected to take around 40 minutes, but the aircraft went down before reaching the capital. The crash site was described as being several kilometres off the Harare–Marondera road, near the railway line and close to Kudenga Farm, an agricultural operation in Marondera district.
Police cordoned off the area and restricted access while teams searched the wreckage. Funeral service workers were also present as authorities prepared to remove the remains. The scene was spread across a rural area, with investigators working to secure debris and establish the aircraft’s flight path.
The cause of the crash had not been announced. Police said investigations were under way, and officials had not released a finding about whether the accident was linked to a mechanical fault, weather, pilot action or another factor. No official account supported claims that the helicopter had been deliberately brought down.
The accident comes as Zimbabwe’s aviation records show a series of aircraft incidents in the past two years. The Aviation Safety Network lists four Zimbabwe-related occurrences in 2026, including a fatal private Sling TSi crash in Nyoka Village in Bikita district on 15 March, which killed one person. The same record lists a non-fatal Cessna U206 incident near Hwange on 7 April and a non-fatal Zlin Aviation Savage Cub incident at Kazungula Airstrip in February.
The record also lists several fatal military aircraft accidents in 2025, including the deaths of two people in a SIAI Marchetti SF 260 crash near Gweru in September, and fatal incidents involving Air Force of Zimbabwe aircraft in May and February. Those accidents were separate from the Marondera crash, which involved a private Bell 430 helicopter.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Aviation Authority says its safety programme is based on identifying risks, monitoring safety performance and encouraging incident reporting. The authority says its State Safety Programme is aligned with international aviation standards and that it operates both mandatory and voluntary reporting systems. The Marondera investigation is expected to examine the helicopter, its maintenance history, the crew, weather conditions and the circumstances of the flight.
Chivayo’s final journey began at the rural property where he was overseeing the construction of Kugara Huda Estate. The project included a luxury home in the Gandami area, part of a 400-hectare family farm that Chivayo said had been bought by his grandfather in 1962. He had spoken publicly about the sentimental value of older buildings on the property and described them as part of a family museum.
He had also spent heavily on the farm, including fencing, machinery and trucks, and pledged money to improve Gandami Secondary School, Gandami Primary School and Gandami Clinic. The rural development plans formed part of the public image he cultivated around his family roots and his wealth.
Away from the farm, Chivayo’s name was tied to major energy and public-sector projects. His company, Intratrek Zimbabwe, won a contract worth more than US$170 million in 2015 to build a 100-megawatt solar plant in Gwanda. The project became the subject of years of disputes over delays and performance before a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 upheld the validity of the contract. The government later ordered that the project should proceed.
His rise also drew sustained scrutiny because of his political connections and public displays of wealth. Chivayo was closely associated with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF establishment. He regularly posted images of meetings with African leaders, including Kenya’s William Ruto, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan and Eswatini’s King Mswati III.
He became known for giving away luxury vehicles and large sums of money to musicians, churches, religious leaders and other public figures. In recent weeks, he donated a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and a Maybach to a Zimbabwean preacher and his wife. He had also presented another church with US$2 million in cash, buses and cars during a ceremony recorded on video.
The businessman’s death was reported shortly after musician Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo arrived in Harare for two special shows. Mapfumo had reached a reported US$1 million agreement with Chivayo to perform at the businessman’s 44th birthday celebrations in November and at musician Jah Prayzah’s wedding.
Those plans, along with Chivayo’s business projects and family developments, now form part of the unfinished story left behind by the crash. At Kudenga Farm, investigators continued to work through the wreckage while relatives waited for the victims to be formally identified. The official account of what happened will depend on the examination of the aircraft, the flight records and evidence gathered from the site.
For now, authorities have confirmed the central facts: the helicopter left Gandami shortly after 4:20pm, crashed near Marondera at about 5pm, and all six people aboard died. The names of the remaining victims and the cause of the accident are expected to be released as the investigation progresses.