Wicknell Chivayo Donated R4.1 Million to Highlanders FC Hours Before Fatal Helicopter Crash

• Zimbabwean millionaire Wicknell Chivayo made a $250,000 donation to Highlanders Football Club hours before his death
• Chivayo, his wife Lucy, and four others died when their helicopter went down near Marondera on Wednesday evening
• Highlanders FC confirmed the donation brought Chivayo's total support to the club to over US$2 million in two years

In what would become one of his final acts, Zimbabwean millionaire Wicknell Chivayo donated $250,000 to Highlanders Football Club on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, just hours before he was killed in a helicopter crash that also claimed his wife Lucy and four others.

Highlanders Football Club chairman Kidman Ndlovu confirmed the donation took place at around 1 PM that afternoon. By 5 PM, Chivayo's helicopter had gone down near Marondera in rural Zimbabwe, according to family spokesman Herbert Chivayo. The businessman had been en route to Harare when the aircraft crashed.

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How much did Wicknell Chivayo donate to Highlanders FC?

The Bulawayo-based club issued a formal statement acknowledging the $250,000 (approximately R4,106,725) contribution, noting that Chivayo's cumulative financial support to the club had exceeded US$2 million over just two years. The club, whose tagline is SIYINQABA, released the statement from Bulawayo on 30 September 2026.

Chivayo, who would have turned 46 in November, had been a prominent and generous backer of Zimbabwean football. His sudden death sent shockwaves across the country, with the timing of the donation adding a deeply poignant dimension to the tragedy.

Read the full statement below:

Details of Wicknell Chivayo's helicopter crash

Zimbabwe Police confirmed the helicopter crash but did not immediately name those aboard. The Chivayo family stepped in to confirm that Wicknell and his wife Lucy were among the six people who perished. Herbert Chivayo, speaking as the family's spokesman, confirmed the details of the crash to the media.

The donation to Highlanders, made just four hours before the crash, has drawn widespread attention as a final gesture from a businessman who had long championed Zimbabwean sport and philanthropy.

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Wicknell Chivayo death: Marondera helicopter crash victims identified so far

Wicknell Chivayo’s last post raises eyebrows

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that the words in Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo's last social media post hours before dying in a helicopter crash in rural Marondera sparked suspicion.

In the post, Chivayo gifted lawyer Wilson Manase a 2026 Lexus GX 550 worth $220,000 and $250,000 cash, and Advocate Sylvester Hashiti a Range Rover Sport and $500,000.

Source: Briefly News