Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa Mourns Chivayo, Wife and Four Others Killed in Helicopter Crash

What the report says

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed shock and grief after businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and four other people were killed in a helicopter crash in Mashonaland East, according to the report carried by AllAfrica from 263Chat. The crash happened in the Marondera rural area on Wednesday evening after the group had reportedly been traveling back from Gandami in Chikomba, where the Chivayos were overseeing construction work at their rural home.

Authorities said there were no survivors. The article says the helicopter had six occupants in total, and that the cause of the crash had not yet been established as investigations continued. Mnangagwa issued a condolence message describing the deaths as a national tragedy and extended sympathies to the Chivayo family and the families of the other victims.

The president also used the statement to praise the family’s charitable work, saying their support had reached people in several parts of Zimbabwean society. He said Chivayo had shared plans for projects aimed at helping disadvantaged communities and war veterans shortly before the crash. Beyond the immediate loss, the incident drew attention because it involved a prominent businessman and his family returning from a rural development project linked to broader efforts to encourage investment and growth in Zimbabwe’s countryside.