Billionaire Wicknell Chivayo Dies in Zimbabwe Helicopter Crash
Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife, and four others died after their private helicopter crashed in the Marondera Rural area on Wednesday.
A private helicopter crashed in the Marondera Rural area of Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, on September 30, 2026, killing all six people on board. The victims included Zimbabwean billionaire Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke, three other passengers, and two pilots. The aircraft crashed at Kudenga Farm around 5 p.m., approximately 40 minutes after taking off from Gandami in Chikomba, where the couple was building a rural home.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed the fatalities and launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. Family spokesman Herbert Chivayo told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation that the couple had been visiting in-laws in the area.
Kenyan President William Ruto issued a statement mourning Chivayo as a "dear friend" and praising his "deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent." The tribute follows a history of public scrutiny in Kenya regarding Chivayo's alleged involvement in multi-million dollar fraud deals and airport revamp plans.
Chivayo, the managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe, was a flamboyant tycoon known for his extravagant lifestyle and political influence across Zimbabwe and Malawi. While he maintained close ties with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ZANU-PF party, he also faced previous scrutiny over a $172 million solar power project in Gwanda, though an anti-corruption inquiry closed in 2025 without finding evidence of wrongdoing.
