HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, have been laid to rest at Sahwira Glen Forest Memorial Park in Harare, bringing an end to a week of mourning following their deaths in a helicopter crash.
The couple was buried on Thursday, October 8, in a funeral that drew thousands of mourners, government officials, business leaders, church figures, musicians, sports personalities and members of the public.
The final ceremony followed several days of mourning at the couple’s Gletwin residence, where relatives, friends and associates gathered before the remains were taken to the memorial park.
Chivayo and Muteke died on September 30 when their helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm in Marondera. The accident also killed Lucy’s aide, Senelisiwe Magagula, and pilots Captain Calvin Tafirei Soda and Captain Courage Mutavirwa.
The couple’s final journey reflected the lavish lifestyle Chivayo had become known for.
On Wednesday, their remains left Doves Funeral Services in a procession that moved through Harare before reaching the family’s Gletwin home, where they lay in state overnight.
The procession featured Rolls-Royces, Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a convoy of bikers. Police closed major roads, including Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Harare Street, as thousands of people gathered along the route.
Mourners waved at the cortege, shouted their final farewells and used their phones to record the procession. Others watched from buildings as the convoy made its way through the city centre.
The two white caskets also attracted considerable attention.
Chivayo’s casket featured a Rolls-Royce-style grille and carried the registration number WMC 777, a number closely associated with his luxury vehicle collection.
Lucy’s casket featured a Mercedes-Benz-style front. Reports circulating before the burial claimed that the caskets were worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars, although those figures have not been independently established by the funeral organisers.
Chivayo’s casket was later draped in the Zimbabwean flag after the government accorded him Provincial Hero status.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the honour after visiting the family in Gletwin.
“As a party, we have accorded him Provincial Hero status. You do not just get this status; you get it because of your work. So, we saw it befitting to accord him this status,” Mnangagwa said.
The recognition also shaped the final burial ceremony, with volleys fired and the Last Post sounded as the caskets were lowered into the graves.
The public was allowed to attend the funeral, with the family previously confirming that the burial would remain open to anyone who wanted to pay their respects.
That decision resulted in a large turnout at Sahwira Glen Forest Memorial Park.
Among those present were Senator Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Mabvuku legislator Scott Sakupwanya, ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Prophet Uebert Angel, musicians Jah Prayzah and Mudiwa Hood, as well as a seven-member delegation representing King Mswati III of Eswatini.
The Eswatini delegation delivered condolences from the King and Queen Mother, describing Chivayo’s death as a loss beyond Zimbabwe.
The delegation said the royal family considered him a person who still had much to contribute to Africa and the region.
Away from the spectacle surrounding the funeral, relatives focused on the personal loss.
Lucy’s brother, Gerald Muteke, described his sister as a brilliant young woman and spoke about the pain of losing her less than a year after the death of their father.
“She was a very brilliant and intelligent young woman. She was Dad’s favourite, and she died barely a year after Dad died. We are in pain as a family, and I don’t know if we will ever recover from this.”
Her sister Fungai remembered Lucy for the warmth she brought to the family.
“She brought joy and warmth to the family. She was our go-to person because she was the most organised.”
Baba Muteke also thanked the Chivayo family and mourners for standing with them.
“We are hurting, but we found comfort from our in-laws and the church for coming to be with us all the way.”
The Chivayo family similarly remembered Wicknell as more than the businessman and philanthropist known publicly for his wealth and generosity.
His sister Esther said:
“He was not just our brother; he was a very special part of us. The memories we created with him will stay with us.”
His younger brother, Joachim “G6” Chivayo, described Wicknell as a mentor who shaped his life and business journey.
“I stand before you not as a businessman, nor as G6, but as a little brother, Joachim Chivayo. And today, my brother, my teacher, our captain, has left us.”
Chivayo is survived by two children.
The couple’s Johane Masowe eChishanu apostolic faith also played a central role in the funeral proceedings. Church members led prayers, hymns and religious rites before the couple was taken to their final resting place.
The church had previously explained that the condition of the remains following the crash forced it to depart from some traditional burial practices.
Madzibaba Stanley said the circumstances meant the church had to adapt its usual customs because of the condition of the bodies.
At Sahwira Glen Forest Memorial Park, the luxury cars, custom caskets and huge crowds eventually gave way to the quieter reality of two graves holding a couple whose lives had ended suddenly.
