Wicknell Chivayo, the Zimbabwean businessman known as Sir Wicknell, died with his wife, Lucy Muteke, in a helicopter crash in rural Marondera on 30 September 2026. His family's spokesperson, Herbert Chivayo, confirmed their deaths to ZBC.
Chivayo was associated with the energy contractor Intratrek and telecommunications company IMC Communications. His public profile also extended into football sponsorship, gifts to entertainers and journalists, and relationships with political leaders. His business history included both disputed public contracts and court decisions in his favour.
Who was Wicknell Chivayo? Wicknell Chivayo was a Zimbabwean businessman known as Sir Wicknell, associated with Intratrek's Gwanda solar contract, IMC Communications and public gifts. He and his wife, Lucy Muteke, died in a helicopter crash on 30 September 2026. His career combined business ventures, sponsorship and legal disputes.
Gandami, school and his first work
In a 2024 NewsDay interview with Freeman Makopa, reproduced by Zimbabwe Situation, Chivayo said he grew up in Gandami, in the Chivhu area. He named his parents as Canisia Chivayo and Isaac Mathias Chivayo, and said his father died when he was ten.
He attended Dudley Hall Primary School and Churchill Boys High School. According to his account, financial difficulties interrupted his education, and he became a wages clerk at a bus company to help his widowed mother.
Asked about the principles behind his success, he answered:
"Prayer, hard work, discipline and determination."
He identified with the Johane Masowe EChishanu apostolic church and described giving as an expression of faith.
Intratrek and the Gwanda solar contract
BIOGRAPHY
Wicknell Chivayo Biography: Business, Family and Helicopter Crash
Oct 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
14 min read
Published
Updated:
Wicknell Chivayo, the Zimbabwean businessman known as Sir Wicknell, died with his wife, Lucy Muteke, in a helicopter crash in rural Marondera on 30 September 2026. His family's spokesperson, Herbert Chivayo, confirmed their deaths to ZBC.
Chivayo was associated with the energy contractor Intratrek and telecommunications company IMC Communications. His public profile also extended into football sponsorship, gifts to entertainers and journalists, and relationships with political leaders. His business history included both disputed public contracts and court decisions in his favour.
Who was Wicknell Chivayo? Wicknell Chivayo was a Zimbabwean businessman known as Sir Wicknell, associated with Intratrek's Gwanda solar contract, IMC Communications and public gifts. He and his wife, Lucy Muteke, died in a helicopter crash on 30 September 2026. His career combined business ventures, sponsorship and legal disputes.
Gandami, school and his first work
In a 2024 NewsDay interview with Freeman Makopa, reproduced by Zimbabwe Situation, Chivayo said he grew up in Gandami, in the Chivhu area. He named his parents as Canisia Chivayo and Isaac Mathias Chivayo, and said his father died when he was ten.
He attended Dudley Hall Primary School and Churchill Boys High School. According to his account, financial difficulties interrupted his education, and he became a wages clerk at a bus company to help his widowed mother.
Asked about the principles behind his success, he answered:
"Prayer, hard work, discipline and determination."
He identified with the Johane Masowe EChishanu apostolic church and described giving as an expression of faith.
Intratrek and the Gwanda solar contract
Chivayo's business career became closely associated with Intratrek Zimbabwe and its contract with Zimbabwe Power Company, or ZPC, for a proposed 100-megawatt solar power station at Gwanda.
The Supreme Court judgment in Zimbabwe Power Company v Intratrek Zimbabwe records that the engineering, procurement and construction contract was signed on 23 October 2015. Its original price was approximately US$172.85 million, excluding taxes.
The agreement covered more than supplying equipment. It involved construction, financing arrangements and obligations on both sides. Disputes developed over the conditions required for the contract to proceed, preliminary work and the parties' responsibilities.
On 1 December 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed ZPC's appeal against an earlier judgment maintaining that the contract remained valid and binding. The order required the contractual relationship to continue; it was not a finding that an operating power station had already been delivered.
That distinction is central to the Gwanda story: preserving a contract and completing a generating plant are different milestones.
Criminal proceedings and the September 2026 restart
Gwanda also produced criminal proceedings involving Chivayo and Intratrek. ZimLive's courtroom report of 13 March 2023 recorded their acquittal in the prosecution concerning advance payments for the project.
The Herald's contemporaneous court report, reproduced by Zimbabwe Situation, described the magistrate's finding that prosecution had been unreasonably delayed. The defence had challenged the continued remands, while prosecutors sought additional time. The reporting also recorded Intratrek's position that money received had funded preliminary contractual work.
The acquittal concerned criminal liability. The Supreme Court litigation concerned contractual rights and obligations. Neither should be substituted for the other when describing what happened at Gwanda.
The project returned to the news shortly before Chivayo's death. On 14 September 2026, ZimLive reported that ZPC had issued a notice to proceed, giving Intratrek 24 months to complete the plant. The report described a renegotiated price below US$132 million and identified CHiNT Electric as the technical partner.
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At the time of that report, the project had not generated electricity. The new instruction therefore represented a restart and a construction commitment, not an announcement that Gwanda was already supplying the grid.
September 2026 marked an unfinished business chapter. The long-running contract remained part of his record, but its delivery timetable extended beyond his lifetime.
IMC Communications and Zimbabwe's internet market
Energy was not his only business interest. Chivayo was also associated with IMC Communications, which sought a position in Zimbabwe's telecommunications market.
In October 2024, ZimLive reported that IMC had received an internet service provider licence from POTRAZ, Zimbabwe's telecommunications regulator. The report quoted IMC chairman Wilson Manase and described the company's intention to pursue a commercial relationship with Starlink.
The licence and the proposed partnership were separate developments: authorisation to operate locally did not, by itself, establish the terms of a completed Starlink reseller agreement. IMC was a Zimbabwean business seeking telecommunications opportunities, not the owner of the satellite network.
XTRAfrica's earlier coverage of Zimbabwe's discussions over access to Starlink provides background to the market IMC was entering. For Chivayo, the venture broadened a public business identity already shaped by the Gwanda energy contract.
Procurement scrutiny and subsequent official responses
Separate from Gwanda, Chivayo's name appeared in controversy surrounding procurement for Zimbabwe's 2023 elections. He denied wrongdoing, and the subsequent official responses are important to that history.
In December 2025, ZimLive reported Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Michael Reza's announcement that the inquiry had been closed. Reza said investigators had found no evidence linking Chivayo or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to wrongdoing in the matter examined.
The report concerned procurement involving South African supplier Ren-Form. The commission's stated conclusion was an outcome of that particular inquiry, not a blanket assessment of every transaction or dispute associated with Chivayo.
Another clarification followed in South Africa. In July 2026, Nehanda Radio reported a Hawks spokesperson's statement that the unit had no such case against Chivayo in its system. News24 apologised for incorrectly reporting that he was under investigation by both the Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
The December 2025 inquiry closure and July 2026 clarification followed earlier accusations, adding official responses to a controversy that had crossed the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Public gifts and football sponsorship
Chivayo reached audiences far beyond the readers of business and court reporting through gifts announced publicly to individuals and sporting institutions.
One example involved veteran ZBC journalist Reuben Barwe. In May 2025, NewZimbabwe reported Chivayo's announcement of a Toyota Land Cruiser and US$100,000 for the broadcaster. He presented the offer as recognition of Barwe's service. Chivayo said the vehicle had been paid for and could be collected from a Harare dealership. The cash, he said, was available through his lawyer.
Football support provided another strand of his public activity. In February 2026, ZBC reported his announcement of a US$500,000 disbursement to Highlanders, completing a stated US$1 million sponsorship commitment. Earlier support included a team bus.
The Highlanders package was described as supporting recruitment, player welfare and preparations for the Premier Soccer League season. Vehicles were also announced for members of the club's leadership and technical team.
The beneficiaries named in ZBC's report included coach Benjani Mwaruwari, chairperson Luke Mnkandla, chief executive Denzil Mnkandla and club legend Madinda Ndlovu. The announcement followed Highlanders' 1-0 victory over Dynamos, linking his support to a specific moment in the club's season preparations.
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These examples show why his name appeared in both sports pages and business coverage. However, the value of an announced gift, the amount of sponsorship and a person's net worth measure different things. None can simply be substituted for another.
Why ZIFA's president declined personal vehicle gifts
Not every publicly announced offer was accepted. In an interview published by the Zimbabwe Football Association, association president Nqobile Magwizi said he had not accepted vehicles or personal financial benefits from Chivayo.
Magwizi distinguished support for football from gifts to an official responsible for governing it. He explained that Chivayo's links to clubs overseen by ZIFA raised potential conflicts of interest, and said he had declined both an earlier Land Cruiser offer and a later Range Rover offer.
The statement is important because reports announcing a gift can leave readers with the impression that it was received. Here, the intended recipient publicly said otherwise. Chivayo's sponsorship history therefore includes offers, donations and refusals, not one uniform category of completed transfers.
In the interview, conducted on 7 May 2026, Magwizi acknowledged Chivayo's sponsorship contributions while encouraging support through clubs, leagues and grassroots programmes. He presented the refusal as a governance decision, rather than a rejection of private financial support for Zimbabwean football.
Connections beyond Zimbabwe
Chivayo's public relationships extended beyond Zimbabwe. Kenyan reporting documented his meetings with William Ruto before the fatal crash brought further attention to their friendship.
A January 2025 Citizen Digital report described visits involving Ruto and Chivayo, accompanied by Lucy Muteke. Those appearances help explain why his death became a Kenyan news story as well as a Zimbabwean one.
Following the crash, ZBC reported Ruto's condolences to the families. His tribute referred to Chivayo as a friend and also acknowledged Muteke's death.
Citizen Digital described Sir Wicknell as a self-adopted public identity. Photographs of meetings, visits and appearances circulated alongside his business announcements, and his visits received coverage in Kenya as well as in Zimbabwe. In Kenya, the report documented both a visit to Ruto's home and a later appearance at State House Nairobi. His public visibility thus crossed national borders before the condolences of October 2026.
Lucy Muteke, his earlier relationship and two children
At the time of his death, Chivayo was married to Lucy Muteke, whom his family identified as his wife when confirming the crash. She died in the same incident.
He also had two children from his earlier relationship with Sonja Madzikanda. Their parenting and financial arrangements became the subject of court proceedings.
TRT Afrika's reporting on the family case described a customary marriage dating from 2017 and the couple's subsequent separation. By April 2026, the court proceedings addressed arrangements for their children as well as separate financial disputes.
ZimLive reported that a High Court consent order dated 2 April 2026 settled parenting and maintenance arrangements. The report distinguished those provisions from separate property and dissolution proceedings.
The consent order recorded an agreed US$5 million maintenance provision. Part of that sum had already been invested for the children, with the balance to follow under the arrangement. Both parents retained parental responsibilities and rights, while the children's primary residence was with their mother. These were provisions of a court-approved agreement, distinct from the competing claims concerning the adults' property.
Jah Prayzah's tribute and postponed celebration
The response from musician Jah Prayzah illustrated Chivayo's personal connections within Zimbabwean entertainment. On 1 October, NewZimbabwe reported that Jah Prayzah and Rufaro Mukombe had postponed their wedding celebration, which had been scheduled for 3 October.
In the statement reported by the publication, the couple described Chivayo as someone they regarded as family and said they needed time to grieve. Their condolences also included Lucy Muteke and the other families affected by the crash.
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Chivayo had supported the musician through gifts and had been involved in plans for the celebration. The postponement showed how his death interrupted relationships and events beyond his companies. For the Mukombes, the immediate response was to put the celebration aside rather than proceed with it during mourning.
The Marondera crash and investigation
The helicopter came down in rural Marondera on the evening of 30 September. The Associated Press reported the fatal crash and the government's statement that there were no survivors.
On 1 October, Reuters reported President Emmerson Mnangagwa's confirmation that Chivayo and his wife had died. Reuters also noted that police had earlier said they were awaiting DNA testing before formally confirming victims' identities. Presidential and family statements should therefore be distinguished from the forensic identification process.
The same day, ZBC reported that the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe had recovered an intact black box. Director-general George Mashababe said preliminary findings indicated that fuel spilled on impact and a fire followed.
The authority had not established why the helicopter crashed. Its account of the impact and fire did not determine what caused the aircraft to come down. The recovery of recording equipment was an investigative development, not a completed explanation of the accident.
Wicknell Chivayo's life and career timeline
Year | Event | Significance |
2015 | Intratrek signed the Gwanda solar contract with ZPC | Established the energy project central to his business profile |
2017 | Customary marriage to Sonja Madzikanda | Part of the family history later described in court reporting |
2023 | Acquittal in the Gwanda prosecution; Supreme Court upheld the contract | Separate criminal and civil outcomes shaped the project's future |
2024 | IMC received an internet service provider licence | Extended his business interests into telecommunications |
2025 | ZACC announced closure of its election-procurement inquiry | Added a dated official outcome to earlier allegations |
2026 | Highlanders sponsorship announcement and renewed Gwanda instruction | Continued sporting support and an unfinished construction commitment |
2026 | Died with Lucy Muteke in the 30 September helicopter crash | Prompted family confirmation, tributes and an aviation investigation |
Wicknell Chivayo FAQs
What was Wicknell Chivayo's full name?
He identified himself as Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo in his 2024 NewsDay interview. Sir Wicknell was the name commonly used in his public life.
How old was Wicknell Chivayo when he died?
In that interview, he gave his birth date as 22 November 1982. On that account, he was 43 when he died on 30 September 2026.
Which businesses was he associated with?
His documented business interests included Intratrek Zimbabwe, associated with the Gwanda solar contract, and IMC Communications, which obtained a Zimbabwean internet service provider licence.
Did the Gwanda court judgment mean the solar plant was finished?
No. The civil judgment upheld the contract, not completion of an operating plant. The September 2026 report described a notice to proceed and a 24-month completion period.
Was he convicted in the Gwanda prosecution?
The March 2023 court reports recorded Chivayo and Intratrek's acquittal. That criminal proceeding was separate from the civil dispute over the project's contract.
Who was his wife?
His family identified Lucy Muteke as his wife when announcing their deaths. She was aboard the helicopter that crashed in Marondera.
Did he have children?
Yes. Court reporting documented two children from his earlier relationship with Sonja Madzikanda. The April 2026 consent order addressed their parenting and maintenance arrangements.
What caused the helicopter crash?
The aviation authority had not established the cause as of 1 October 2026. Recovery of an intact black box was confirmed, but a final accident finding had not been announced.
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