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Wicknell Chivayo, one of Zimbabwe's most prominent and recognisable businessmen, died on Wednesday evening, September 30, after a private helicopter he was travelling in crashed in Marondera rural, a district in Mashonaland East Province. His wife, Lucy Muteke, also perished in the accident.
Zimbabwe Republic Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that the crash took place and that the aircraft had six occupants on board at the time. No immediate information was released regarding the identities or conditions of the other passengers.
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths of both Wicknell and Lucy in a statement to ZBC News, Zimbabwe's national broadcaster based in Harare. He described the family as completely overwhelmed by the news.
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His statement was among the first official responses from those close to the businessman and served to confirm that both Wicknell Chivayo and Lucy Muteke had died in the crash.
See the X (Twitter) post below:
Wicknell Chivayo was a deeply influential and at times controversial figure in Zimbabwe's business landscape. He was widely known for his extravagant lifestyle and cultivated close relationships with prominent figures across the country's political and social circles. His death marks the loss of one of the most publicly visible personalities in contemporary Zimbabwean public life.
Commissioner Nyathi's statement placed the crash site firmly in Marondera rural, though the Zimbabwe Republic Police had not immediately released details about the cause of the crash or the circumstances surrounding the flight at the time of reporting.
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a Zimbabwean High Court has ordered flamboyant businessman and billionaire Sir Wicknell Chivayo to pay his ex-wife, Sonja Louise Madzikanda, a $5 million lump sum as part of a divorce settlement that has drawn widespread public attention.
The ruling also awarded her additional benefits, including a house and structured custody arrangements, bringing an end to a long-running legal dispute that had frequently played out in the public domain.
Sir Wicknell and Sonja Madzikanda met and tied the knot in 2017 after he visited her family home for a traditional ceremony, and they separated in 2024, the same year that claims surfaced that the businessman had remarried.
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Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah (HOD Entertainment)
Jeffrey is the Head of the Entertainment Desk and a graduate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He started as a reporter with Ghana News Agency (GNA). He joined Primnewsghana.com in 2016 as an editor. He moved to YEN.com.gh in 2017 as an editor and has risen to his current position. You can contact him via e-mail: j.owusu-mensah@yen.com.gh
Source: Music
