Emmerson Mnangagwa Extends Condolences After Chivayo’s Death, Shares Details of Their Last Meeting
- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa issued a formal condolence message following the passing of Wicknell Chivayo
- The prominent businessman, his wife Lucy Muteke, and three others died when their helicopter went down in rural Marondera
- Chivayo was a well-known ZANU-PF supporter who often publicly referred to the Zimbabwean President as his "principal"
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
ZIMBABWE — President Emmerson Mnangagwa has issued a formal condolence message following the deaths of prominent businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke, two crew members, and a security aide in a helicopter crash in rural Marondera on 30 September 2026.
The group had departed from Gandami in Chikomba, a rural area in the southeast of the country, before their aircraft came down approximately 40 minutes into the flight. Marondera lies roughly 70 km east of Harare.
Zimbabwe's Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tino Machakaire, has since confirmed the identities of those on board, indicating that five people were killed and not six as originally believed.
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Mnangagwa describes Chivayo as a visionary
In a press release issued by the Department of Presidential Communications on 1 October 2026, Mnangagwa described his shock at the news, saying the crash "left our Nation, my family, and me personally numbed and in deep shock and grief."
The president praised Chivayo's record of philanthropy, stating that the businessman's charitable contributions "ran into millions of dollars" and reached individuals across politics, religion, sport, culture, and public service. He described Chivayo as someone who "embodied the Second Republic's ethos of indigenous enterprise tempered with a human face."
Mnangagwa also revealed that the two had met just days before the crash.
"He shared with me some of these grand plans only this last Tuesday after our Cabinet meeting, just a day before his tragic end," the statement read.
Chivayo was a well-known ZANU-PF supporter who publicly referred to Mnangagwa as his "principal." His death, alongside that of his wife and the three others on board, has drawn an outpouring of condolences from officials across Zimbabwe.
Chivayo's children were not on board the helicopter
Briefly News also reported that Chivayo's two children from his previous marriage were confirmed safe and were not aboard the doomed aircraft.
The Zimbabwean millionaire and his new wife Lucy died in the helicopter crash near Marondera on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.
The crash, which occurred at around 5 pm, also claimed the lives of two crew members and one other individual.
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Source: Briefly News
