Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, have died after a helicopter crashed near Marondera, east of Harare.
Zimbabwean government spokesperson Nick Mangwana confirmed that there were no survivors in the crash.
The plane had five others on board, police at scene and the government have confirmed.
Popularly known as Sir Wicknell, he was a known friend of Kenya’s president William Ruto, and he frequently visited State House.
But Who Was Chivayo?
Zimbabwe’s Flamboyant Tycoon
Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo, lived a life that was as dramatic as it was controversial.
From humble beginnings in Zimbabwe, he rose to become one of the country’s most recognisable businessmen, building a reputation around major infrastructure projects, extraordinary displays of wealth, philanthropy, religion and close relationships with some of Africa’s most powerful political figures.
His life came to a sudden end on September 30, 2026, when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed in the Marondera Rural area of Zimbabwe. Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and other occupants were reported killed in the crash. His family subsequently confirmed his death.
He was 43 years old.
But the story of Wicknell Chivayo began far away from the luxury cars, private aircraft and presidential encounters that later defined his public image.
From Chivhu to the world of business
Chivayo was born on November 22, 1982, in Chivhu, Zimbabwe. He grew up in circumstances that he later described as modest, and his early life was very different from the extraordinary wealth he would eventually display.
Reports about his early career describe a young man who entered the world of work before eventually moving into business and foreign-currency dealings.
His journey was not without serious setbacks.
At one point in his early adulthood, Chivayo was convicted in a fraud-related case and served a prison sentence at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. That conviction was later overturned on appeal.
His legal history would continue to follow him throughout his business career, although several later cases ended in acquittals or dismissal rather than convictions.
Building Intratrek
Chivayo eventually established himself in the infrastructure and energy sector through Intratrek Zimbabwe, an engineering, procurement and construction company.
The company became particularly prominent after being awarded a major contract for the proposed 100-megawatt Gwanda Solar Project.
The project, valued at approximately US$172 million, was intended to increase Zimbabwe’s electricity-generation capacity. It subsequently became one of the most controversial chapters of Chivayo’s career.
Questions were raised over the project’s implementation, payments and delays, and Chivayo became the subject of criminal proceedings connected with the project.
However, the legal outcome is important. The charges against Chivayo were not ultimately equivalent to a criminal conviction over the Gwanda project; proceedings resulted in acquittal or dismissal, depending on the particular charge and stage of the proceedings.
His supporters therefore argued that the businessman had been repeatedly subjected to allegations that did not result in convictions, while critics continued to question the circumstances surrounding some of his business dealings.
The businessman who became a celebrity
What made Chivayo different from many conventional businessmen was that he did not keep his wealth hidden.
He displayed it.
Luxury cars became a central feature of his public image. So did expensive watches, private aircraft, designer clothing, lavish homes and large monetary gifts.
His social-media pages became something of a window into a world of extraordinary spending.
He frequently showed himself travelling in luxury, meeting powerful people and giving away expensive possessions.
In September 2026, shortly before his death, he announced gifts of 15 new Toyota Fortuners and US$5,000 cash to each of 15 members of his church community, saying the vehicles and cash were intended to celebrate their commitment to the church.
Such gestures became synonymous with the name Wicknell Chivayo.
Philanthropy and faith
For Chivayo, wealth was closely connected to religion.
He frequently spoke about God and described his success as a product of divine favour.
His philanthropy extended to churches, religious figures, musicians, sports personalities, communities and individuals.
He donated vehicles and money, and on numerous occasions used his wealth to assist people publicly.
That generosity created two very different perceptions of him.
To admirers, Chivayo was a businessman who remembered where he came from and used his wealth to help others.
To critics, his extravagant public giving raised questions about the relationship between philanthropy, publicity and political influence.
Whatever interpretation people adopted, philanthropy was undeniably one of the defining features of his public identity.
His relationship with Zimbabwe’s political establishment
Chivayo also developed close relationships with powerful political figures in Zimbabwe.
He was publicly associated with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and became known as a supporter and ally of the president.
His proximity to the political establishment attracted considerable attention because his businesses were involved in government-linked projects.
Questions were consequently raised about the relationship between government contracts, political access and private business.
Chivayo denied wrongdoing and maintained that his political relationships did not mean he had purchased government influence.
These questions remained part of the public debate surrounding his career rather than simple established facts of criminal wrongdoing.
His extraordinary connection with William Ruto
Perhaps nowhere outside Zimbabwe did Chivayo’s public profile become more intriguing than in Kenya.
He developed a highly visible relationship with President William Ruto, appearing with the Kenyan president on several occasions.
In June 2026, Chivayo was reported to have been involved in a consortium connected to the proposed expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, bringing his business interests directly into one of Kenya’s most important infrastructure projects.
But it was his personal interactions with Ruto that attracted perhaps even more attention.
In August 2026, Chivayo posted a video showing President Ruto personally driving him towards a helipad at the president’s private residence in Kilgoris, Narok County.
Chivayo appeared excited as he filmed the encounter, repeatedly referring to the fact that he was being driven by the President of Kenya.
The encounter generated considerable discussion in Kenya because it showed a foreign businessman enjoying an unusually personal interaction with the country’s head of state.
Chivayo maintained that his relationship with Ruto was based on friendship, faith and mutual respect.
A businessman with presidential connections
His relationships did not stop with Ruto and Mnangagwa.
Chivayo was also seen with other prominent African leaders, including Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
His ability to move within elite political circles became one of the most distinctive aspects of his public life.
He was no longer simply known as the owner of an infrastructure company.
He had become a celebrity businessman whose name was regularly mentioned alongside presidents, government contracts, luxury and philanthropy.
The controversies
But the wealth and political connections that made Chivayo famous also made him controversial.
Throughout his career, he faced allegations and investigations concerning government contracts, procurement, financial transactions and other business dealings.
One of the most closely watched episodes involved leaked recordings associated with a major contract for Zimbabwean election materials.
Chivayo faced public scrutiny over the matter, although Zimbabwe’s Anti-Corruption Commission later reported that its investigation had not found evidence directly linking him to the transaction.
It is therefore important to separate allegations, investigations and political criticism from criminal convictions.
His career contained all three—but they were not the same thing.
The mystery surrounding his wealth
One question remained particularly difficult to answer: How wealthy was Wicknell Chivayo?
Numerous websites and publications described him as a millionaire or billionaire and published estimates of his wealth.
However, there was no publicly verified financial statement that established a definitive figure for his personal net worth.
What was beyond dispute was his ability to spend enormous amounts of money.
His public displays included luxury vehicles, private aviation, expensive watches, large charitable gifts and major business ventures.
His wealth was therefore obvious, even though its precise size and composition were difficult for outsiders to independently establish.
His final days
Remarkably, Chivayo remained highly active shortly before his death.
His social-media activity continued into the final days of his life.
One of his final public posts showed him celebrating members of his church and announcing the donation of new vehicles and cash. Another recent post was associated with his religious activities and carried the phrase “The bigger preacher.”
There was nothing in those posts to suggest that he was about to become the subject of a final chapter.
Then, on the evening of September 30, 2026, tragedy struck.
A helicopter carrying six people crashed in the Marondera Rural area of Zimbabwe at about 5 p.m. Zimbabwean time.
Initial official statements confirmed the crash and said the aircraft had six occupants, while authorities worked to establish the identities of those involved. Later reports identified Chivayo and his wife among the victims, and his family confirmed his death.
The man who had spent years documenting his extraordinary lifestyle on social media suddenly became the subject of tributes, obituaries and retrospectives.
The legacy of Sir Wicknell
Wicknell Chivayo leaves behind a complicated legacy.
He was a businessman who rose from humble beginnings to operate in major infrastructure and energy ventures.
He was a philanthropist who gave away vehicles, money and other valuable gifts.
He was a deeply religious public figure who frequently attributed his success to God.
He was also a businessman whose government-linked projects, political relationships and financial affairs generated considerable public scrutiny.
And perhaps most unusually, he became a celebrity in his own right.
He did not merely accumulate wealth.
He displayed it.
He turned his lifestyle into part of his identity, his philanthropy into a public spectacle, and his relationships with powerful people into a visible part of his story.
His encounters with presidents in Zimbabwe, Kenya and elsewhere made him a recognisable figure far beyond his home country.
His death therefore marked the sudden end of a remarkable and controversial African business story.
Wicknell Chivayo was only 43.
He had spent his final years at the intersection of business, wealth, religion, philanthropy, politics and celebrity.
His life generated admiration from some, criticism from others, and endless curiosity from the public.
But regardless of how people viewed him, Sir Wicknell Chivayo had succeeded in becoming something very few businessmen achieve:
a name that became bigger than the companies he owned.
And on September 30, 2026, that name became part of Zimbabwe’s history.
