Zimbabwean businessman, close to ruling elite, killed in helicopter crash

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife and several others were killed on Wednesday in a helicopter crash, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said.

Mnangagwa said in a statement on X on Thursday that he was "in deep shock and grief", while in a separate post Kenya's President William Ruto called Chivayo his friend and said he was saddened by his passing.

Chivayo cultivated close ties with Mnangagwa and other African leaders, posting pictures with them on social media where he also displayed luxury cars, designer clothing and lavish gifts.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing and a detailed statement on the findings will be released in due course, Zimbabwe's The Herald newspaper reported, citing the country's aviation authority.

Police did not comment on the cause of the crash, but spokesperson Paul Nyathi said authorities were carrying out DNA tests because the bodies were severely damaged.

Critics frequently cited Chivayo as an example of a small elite class that benefited from government-linked contracts under Zimbabwe's long-ruling ZANU-PF party. He denied allegations of corruption.

Chivayo was jailed for several years after a 2005 conviction as part of a money-laundering case.

He was arrested in 2018 over the alleged misuse of a $5.6 million advance payment tied to a solar power project, but a magistrate struck the case off the court roll in 2023, citing delays by prosecutors.

In 2024, he again drew scrutiny after Mnangagwa described his company as Starlink's exclusive partner in Zimbabwe, prompting the telecommunications regulator to clarify that it was one of several approved resellers.