Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, were returning from a visit to their rural home project when their helicopter crashed near Marondera, Zimbabwe, on Wednesday evening. A day later, investigators had recovered an intact black box, while an aide travelling in a second helicopter described difficult weather and radio contact suddenly falling silent.
The aircraft came down at Kudenga Farm on September 30, at approximately 5pm local time. Authorities said there were no survivors. Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the couple’s deaths, telling The Herald: “Yes, we confirm that Wicknell Chivayo and his wife have perished in this tragedy.”
However, an important detail remains unresolved: how many people were aboard. Police initially reported six occupants, while the family spokesperson and a security aide described five — the couple, an aide and two pilots.
A second helicopter and the calls before contact was lost
Froster Chisi, one of Chivayo’s security aides, said he was travelling in a separate helicopter during the return journey from Gandami. His account, published by ZimLive, offers a closer picture of what happened before the group learned of the crash.
Chisi said they left Harare at 3pm and departed Gandami at 4.20pm. The plan was to stop in Marondera before continuing to the capital. During the return flight, he said, worsening weather prompted discussion of an alternative route through Bromley.
According to Chisi, the pilot carrying Chivayo repeatedly said: “I’m in bad weather, I haven’t exited the cloud.”
The aide said the pilot’s last reported position was over Surrey. When the other helicopter’s pilot said he was about ten minutes from their destination, Chivayo’s pilot asked which destination he meant. Chisi said communication then stopped.
The second helicopter landed in Marondera, but Chivayo’s aircraft did not arrive. The group initially believed it might have landed elsewhere because of the weather. Chisi said they returned to Harare to collect vehicles and tried reaching the missing occupants for more than an hour before receiving news of the crash.
His account has not been independently confirmed through released radio recordings, and investigators have not established that weather caused the accident.
Black box recovered as identification work continues
ZBC News reports that the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe recovered an intact black box. The broadcaster also said the victims’ remains were taken to Marondera Hospital for death certification and paperwork ahead of transfer to Harare.
CAAZ director-general George Mashababe said preliminary observations indicated that fuel spilled when the helicopter struck the ground, followed by a fire. That describes the aftermath of impact; it does not explain why the aircraft came down.
The family had awaited forensic specialists to help recover and identify the remains. ZBC reported that their condition made identification difficult, while the family also cited cultural practices requiring remains to be kept separate during recovery.
The journey had followed a visit to Gandami, where the couple were developing their rural home. In a condolence statement, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Chivayo had discussed plans to assist disadvantaged communities and war veterans with him on Tuesday, just a day before the crash.
The tragedy follows separate reports of a REACH medical helicopter crash near Catalina Island. In Marondera, the immediate questions remain the final passenger count, formal identification of all victims and what investigators can establish about the flight’s final minutes.
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