BREAKING NEWS🚨
Flamboyant Tycoon Wicknell Chivayo and Wife Feared Dead in Fatal Marondera Helicopter Crash
Prominent and controversial Zimbabwean millionaire businessman Wicknell Chivayo, popularly known as “Sir Wicknell”, has died alongside his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, following a catastrophic helicopter crash in the Marondera Rural area in Zimbabwe.
The incident occurred at approximately 17:00 on Wednesday evening. Authorities have confirmed there were no survivors among the six occupants on board.
In an official press statement, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the tragedy: “The ZRP confirms a plane crash in Marondera Rural area at 1700 hours, this evening. The aircraft had 6 occupants. More details will be released in due course as the scene is currently being attended.”
While police initial dispatches did not immediately list the names of the deceased pending formal identification and notification of next of kin, the Government of Zimbabwe through Chief Spokesperson Nick Mangwana released a concurrent statement confirming the grim outcome. Mangwana stated that the accident involved “one high-profile businessman, three other passengers, and two pilots,” with emergency responders recovering no survivors from the wreckage.
Multiple sources and leading news outlets, including ZimLive and iHarare, subsequently verified that Chivayo and his wife were among the victims.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing over half a dozen ambulances speeding from Harare toward the crash site in Mashonaland East shortly after the afternoon accident.
Wicknell Chivayo, the founder of Intratrek Zimbabwe, was a deeply polarising figure known across Southern Africa for his lucrative and frequently debated government energy contracts, close ties to top political elites, and an ostentatious social media presence where he frequently flaunted multi-million dollar luxury vehicle fleets and cash donations.
Investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and law enforcement are currently on-site to ascertain the definitive cause of the crash.