Prominent Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, were among six people killed when a helicopter crashed in the Marondera rural area, about 70km east of the capital, Harare.
The crash occurred at about 5pm local time on Wednesday, with police confirming that all six people aboard the aircraft died.
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths of the businessman and his wife to Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster, ZBC, saying the family was devastated by the tragedy.
“We are at a loss for words after the tragic news,” the spokesperson said.
Government spokesman Nick Mangwana earlier confirmed that the helicopter was carrying “a prominent businessman, three other passengers and two pilots”.
“Current information indicates that there were no survivors in this crash,” Mangwana said in a post on X.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the aircraft crashed at about 5pm and that investigations had commenced. Emergency responders were deployed to the crash site.
According to ZBC, the group had travelled from Gandami in Chikomba, where Chivayo and his wife were building a rural home. The helicopter reportedly crashed at Kudenga Farm about 40 minutes after take-off.
The cause of the crash had not been established as of Thursday.
Chivayo, popularly known as “Sir Wicknell”, was the managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe and had become one of the country’s most recognisable businessmen, combining lucrative government contracts with a highly publicised philanthropic lifestyle.
His business dealings had attracted scrutiny over the years, although he denied allegations of wrongdoing.
Among his most prominent projects was a $172 million solar power project in Gwanda awarded to Intratrek by the state-owned Zimbabwe Power Company. The project became embroiled in years of legal disputes.
Chivayo was also scrutinised over the procurement of election materials for Zimbabwe’s disputed 2023 elections. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigated allegations involving 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.
The businessman also attracted widespread attention for his lavish gifts, frequently giving luxury vehicles and large sums of money to musicians, religious leaders and other public figures and documenting the gestures on social media.
His high-profile relationships extended beyond Zimbabwe. Kenyan President William Ruto, who had previously appeared publicly with Chivayo, paid tribute to him following news of his death.
Ruto described Chivayo as a “dear friend” and said he would remember him for “his friendship, his energy and his deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent”.
Kenyan opposition figures had previously questioned Chivayo’s repeated access to Ruto and State House.
Chivayo also publicly shared photographs of meetings with several African leaders, including Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Eswatini’s King Mswati III.
Despite his frequent use of the title “Sir Wicknell”, Chivayo was not a recipient of a British knighthood.
