Late Wicknell Chivayo: Billionaire, wife killed in helicopter crash to be buried without head
- Zimbabwean billionaire Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke died in a helicopter crash on September 30 in Marondera
- Family spokesman Herbert Chivayo confirmed none of the victims' heads were recovered from the wreckage after a post-crash fire
- The couple will be interred side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare on Thursday, October 8
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Zimbabwean business tycoon Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke will be laid to rest on Thursday, October 8, at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare, but without their heads, after the remains could not be recovered from the site of their helicopter crash.
Family spokesman Herbert Chivayo made the confirmation on Sunday, October 4, noting that the helicopter's wreckage caught fire after it came down, and the bodies are believed to have been soaked in jet fuel before the blaze took hold.
Source: Instagram
The fire burned itself out without any intervention, leaving all five victims in a condition that made identification impossible.
"The bodies were burnt until the fire died on its own, so you can imagine what the status is like," Herbert said. "They were beyond recognition."
Crash claimed five lives
The couple died on Wednesday, September 30, when their helicopter went down in misty conditions over Kudenga Farm in Marondera, roughly 40 minutes after departing.
They had been on their way back from a rural mansion they were constructing. Three others, two pilots and a security officer, also lost their lives in the crash.
The last communication received from the pilot before the aircraft went down indicated that it was struggling to climb above cloud cover. Investigations into the cause of the accident are continuing.
No heads recovered from wreckage
Herbert directly addressed speculation spreading on social media, confirming that no heads belonging to any of the five victims had been found at the crash site.
Forensic officials had initially flagged certain recovered remains as potentially being head remains, but laboratory analysis later ruled that out.
"No head was found. There are some remains that forensic officials suspected to be head remains, but they found out that they were not. That's the situation," he said.
Wicknell and Lucy will be buried side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery.
The two pilots who perished in the crash have already been buried, while Muteke's security aide was set to be laid to rest on Monday, October 6.
Source: Instagram
Chivayo's last post on social media sparks reactions
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that billionaire Chivayo's last post hours before his helicopter crash death had raised concern online.
Chivayo published the post on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, just hours before the fatal crash. Titled "Appreciating Relationships Built Over Decades… Saved the Best for Last," the lengthy tribute paid tribute to the legal professionals who had supported him over the years.
The message ran to several hundred words and carried a reflective, almost valedictory quality that many followers said they found unsettling in hindsight.
Source: Legit.ng
