A helicopter crash in rural Marondera, east of Harare, on Wednesday evening killed all six people on board, the Zimbabwean government said. Family members later identified businessman Wicknell Chivayo as among the dead.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police said the aircraft went down in the Marondera Rural area at about 5 p.m. local time. Officers and emergency teams attended the scene. Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the bodies were badly burned and that formal identification was required.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana confirmed the crash on X. He said a high-profile businessman, other passengers and two pilots were aboard, and that current information indicated there were no survivors. Mangwana said police would release the names of the victims in due course and offered condolences to the families.
A family spokesperson, Herbert Chivayo, later confirmed Wicknell Chivayo’s death to state broadcaster ZBC News. Local outlets including ZimLive also reported that Chivayo and his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, were among those killed. Police had not issued an official list of names at the time of the first government statement.
Chivayo was a well-known and often controversial Zimbabwean businessman, associated with high-profile government contracts and a public lifestyle of lavish gifts and political connections. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Investigators were expected to examine the flight path, the condition of the aircraft and conditions at the time of the incident.
Authorities said further details would follow once identification and the crash investigation were complete.
