Zimbabwean tycoon Wicknell Chivayo, wife reported dead in helicopter crash

Controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo died Wednesday when a helicopter crashed in the Marondera Rural area east of Harare, according to local media reports cited by Billionaires.Africa.

His wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, was also among six people killed, ZimLive reported. The government confirmed the crash without naming victims, with Nick Mangwana, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, saying “there were no survivors in this crash” and that police would release names in due course.

The aircraft went down around 5pm with six people aboard; the cause has not yet been determined.

Chivayo, 45, was one of Zimbabwe’s best-known and most divisive businessmen, having built his fortune through state contracts and a highly public display of wealth, including expensive cars and lavish gifts to musicians and security officials.

A declared ZANU-PF supporter, he faced repeated legal battles, including fraud charges in 2011 and prosecution over the Gwanda Solar Project, before being acquitted in 2024.

He had recently expanded into Kenya, securing a stake in a $2.9 billion infrastructure project through ties to President William Ruto, and remained active on social media in the weeks before his death.