Zimbabwe: Chivayo and Wife's Remains to Be Laid to Rest Without Heads Following Horror Helicopter Crash

What the report says

Zimbabwe media reported that the remains of businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, are scheduled to be buried on Thursday at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare after a helicopter crash that killed them and three others. According to the family spokesperson quoted in the report, the couple died last Wednesday when the Bell 430 helicopter they were traveling in crashed at Kudenga Farm in Marondera after departing from their rural home in Gandami, Chikomba East.

The family said some remains are still missing, including the heads, and rejected claims circulating on social media about recovered skulls. The report says fire and the force of the crash made identification and collection of remains difficult. Family spokesperson Hebert Chivayo also said items found so far included the deceased’s wristwatch and the watch belonging to his daughter-in-law.

The burial plan, as described in the report, includes no public viewing before the interment. The family said the couple will be laid to rest side by side, but not in a single grave, and they denied suggestions that the funeral would be private. Relatives said mourners are welcome both at the family home in Gletwin Park and at the cemetery.

The article adds that Chivayo had been declared a provincial hero. In general, provincial hero status in Zimbabwe is a formal honor used in burial arrangements for some prominent figures, but the report does not detail the full state protocol in this case.