Wicknell Chivayo and Wife to Be Buried Without Heads After Helicopter Crash, Zimbabweans Debate Move
- Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy will be laid to rest on Thursday, 8 October 2026, at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare
- Family spokesman Herbert Chivayo confirmed the couple's bodies were severely burnt after a fatal helicopter crash
- Zimbabweans weighed in on one key aspect of the burial, questioning why a certain decision was taken
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Source: Twitter
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 — Millionaire businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke will be buried without their heads after forensic investigators confirmed the remains were not recovered from the site of last week's fatal helicopter crash.
Chivayo's uncle and family spokesman Herbert Chivayo made the announcement on Sunday, 4 October 2026, confirming that the couple would be interred side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare on Thursday.
The couple were among five people killed in a helicopter crash on 30 September 2026. The other victims were identified as Senelisiwe Magagula, Captain Kelvin T Soda, and Captain Courage Mutavirwa.
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Bodies burnt beyond recognition
The Bell 430 helicopter carrying the five went down on 30 September 2026 at approximately 5 pm at Kudenga Farm in Marondera Rural, near Waddilove Mission, about 70 kilometres east of Harare.
The aircraft had taken off from Chivayo's rural homestead in Gandami Village, Chikomba district, at around 4:20 pm, bound for Harare with a planned stop in Marondera. Misty conditions were reported at the time.
Herbert Chivayo said the bodies appeared to have been exposed to jet fuel before catching fire after impact.
"The bodies were burnt until the fire died on its own, so you can imagine what the status is like," he said.
He added that forensic officials had initially believed certain recovered fragments could be skull remains, but further examination ruled this out.
"I have seen on social media people saying that the heads were found, but that's not true. No head was found," Herbert confirmed.
Social media reacts with disbelief
The announcement drew significant attention online, with many users questioning the circumstances surrounding the missing heads.
@zwelabon wrote:
"Did the heads get burnt or did someone take them to where they know best? It doesn't make sense to me. This whole thing may be deeper than what we see."
@real_sc9 said:
"They're the only ones that didn't have heads. Makes you wonder."
@therealnkomo posted:
"Someone controlled this all the way. The grass didn't burn that much — why was the fire concentrated on the bodies? No crater from fall impact, money bag was found intact, some shoes intact."
@ImVeeMk asked:
"They didn't find even the skulls? Fragments of the heads? Maybe someone took them."
@lufty_rm added:
"This is too crazy for me to believe. Maybe I'm in denial. Did these two really die like that?"
@NerdSwag100 wrote:
"Are they even dead? Like for real."
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
