Prominent Zimbabwe businessman dies in helicopter crash

Prominent Zimbabwe businessman dies in helicopter crash Nokuthula Khanyile Thu, 10/01/2026 - 07:00

HARARE - A high-profile businessman and his wife were among six people killed in a helicopter crash east of Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Wednesday, state broadcaster ZBC reported.

Police said the crash occurred in the Marondera rural area, about 72km (45 miles) east of Harare, at around 1500 GMT.

Wicknell Chivayo, a tycoon close to the ruling ZANU-PF party known for his extravagant displays of wealth, and his wife Lucy Muteke were among the victims, family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed to ZBC.

The helicopter crashed after leaving the family home in Gandami, about 144 km (89 miles) from Harare.

"When it crashed, it burst into flames," he said.

"There were five people. There were two pilots, his security aide, the wife and Chivayo."

Police confirmed in a short statement on X that the helicopter was carrying six occupants but could not immediately confirm the identities of the victims.

"The government wishes to confirm that a helicopter crash has occurred, involving one high-profile businessman, three other passengers, and two pilots," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said in a post on X.

"Current information indicates that there were no survivors in this crash," he said.

Mangwana said police would confirm the identities of the victims in due course.

Chivayo, 43, was one of the most recognisable figures in a new class of conspicuously wealthy businessmen with close ties to Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party, whose lavish lifestyles contract sharply with the widespread economic hardship around them.

His public profile was fuelled by shows of wealth on social media and high-profile giveaways that included luxury cars, cash and other gifts.

Weeks ago, he donated a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and a Maybach to a Zimbabwean preacher and his wife.

He had also given another church $2 million in cash, along with buses and cars, in a ceremony where he was filmed displaying bundles of banknotes.

The tycoon -- who spent three years in jail around two decades ago on a money-laundering conviction -- also moved in high circles outside of Zimbabwe, rubbing shoulders with the leaders of Ewastini, Kenya and Uganda.

His close ties with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Zanu-PF, which has held a tight grip on the mineral-rich country since independence in 1980, have fuelled the cynicism.

His company Intratrek Zimbabwe, a contractor for energy projects, in 2015 won a more than $170 million government contract to build a 100-megawatt solar plant in the southwestern town of Gwanda.

After the state-run power utility sought to terminate the deal because of delays, the Supreme Court ruled in 2023 it was valid and the government last month ordered it should proceed.

• AFP