Zimbabwe businessman Wicknell Chivayo dies in helicopter crash

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, were among six people killed when a helicopter crashed east of Harare on Wednesday, according to Chivayo’s family.

Chivayo, who was 43, was widely known in Zimbabwe as “Sir Wicknell” and had become one of the most recognisable figures among the country’s conspicuously wealthy entrepreneurs with links to the ruling party.

The other four people who died in the crash have not been identified in the available information. No cause or further circumstances of the crash were provided.

A public image built on lavish gifts

Chivayo attracted widespread attention for his luxury lifestyle and highly publicised gifts to allies. He was known for presenting luxury vehicles and large amounts of cash at public events, a profile that contrasted with the economic hardship experienced by many ordinary Zimbabweans.

His final Facebook post announced that he had bought a top-of-the-range SUV for each of two advocates who had supported him “from back in the days of poverty”. He also said he was giving each of them $250,000, describing the payments as “small petty cash”.

According to Chivayo’s statement, one of the advocates would receive additional money after supporting President Emmerson Mnangagwa against a challenge to recent Constitutional amendments. The amount of the extra payment was not specified.

In another widely circulated episode, Chivayo visited a major gospel church and gave a popular televangelist preacher and the preacher’s wife a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and a Maybach. Congregants cheered during the event, while recordings later spread online.

Questions over access to wealth

Chivayo’s public displays of wealth included images of private jets, sprawling mansions and extravagant parties. Their circulation prompted questions about how he and other members of Zimbabwe’s wealthy elite gained access to the opportunities that enabled their fortunes.

Those questions have not established how Chivayo acquired his wealth. The available report focuses on his public profile, his ties to people close to the ruling party and the gifts that made him a prominent figure in Zimbabwean public life.

His death brings renewed attention to a businessman whose name was closely associated with conspicuous spending, political connections and highly visible acts of generosity.