Wicknell Chivayo, wife Lucy to be buried without heads: family

Millionaire businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy will be buried without their heads, which have not been recovered from the scene of last Wednesday’s helicopter crash that killed the couple and three others.

Chivayo’s uncle and family spokesman Herbert Chivayo made the announcement on Sunday, saying the couple would be buried side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare on Thursday.

He said the bodies of the five crash victims, including two pilots and a security officer, were badly burnt after the helicopter went down in misty conditions at Kudenga Farm in Marondera.

The bodies appeared to have been exposed to jet fuel, and caught fire after the crash.

“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.”

He said forensic officials had initially suspected that some recovered remains could be parts of the victims’ heads, but subsequent examination ruled this out.

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“I have seen on social media people saying that the heads were found, but that’s not true. No head was found,” he said.

“There are some remains which forensic officials suspected to be head remains, but they found out that they were not. That’s the situation.”

Chivayo, who faced corruption allegations over opaque government contracts awarded to his companies, was returning from his rural home in Chivhu, with a planned stop in Marondera, when the helicopter crashed.

A final message transmitted by his pilot indicated that they were struggling to exit clouds.

Wicknell Chivayo co-pilot Courage Mutavirwa was buried in Chiredzi on October 4, 2026

Funerals were held on Sunday for the two pilots. Courage Mutavirwa, the co-pilot, was buried in Chiredzi, while Calvin Soda was buried in Marondera.

Security officer Senelisiwe Magagula is due to be buried in Lupane on Monday.

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