Wicknell Chivayo: Late Businessman Had Ordered 3 Helicopters Days Before Fatal Crash, Video Surfaces

• A video emerged showing Wicknell Chivayo giving instructions for a helipad at his rural Gandami Village property in Chivhu shortly before he died
• Chivayo disclosed in the clip that he had purchased three helicopters, including one large aircraft described as still in transit at the time of his death
• Despite his ambitious fleet plans, the businessman had been hiring aircraft from Sky Helicopters for his travel at the time of the fatal crash

Wicknell Chivayo, the Zimbabwean businessman who died in a helicopter crash on 30 September, had placed orders for three of his own helicopters just days before the tragedy, based on a video circulating online.

The footage, captured during one of Chivayo's visits to his rural property at Gandami Village in the Wiltshire farming area of Chivhu, Chikomba district, Mashonaland East Province, shows him surveying construction progress on what he called a "mini Borrowdale Brooke."

Chivayo's helipad plans at Gandami village

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In the clip, Chivayo is heard speaking directly to engineers on site, specifying that the helipad would need reinforced concrete to support a particularly large aircraft he was expecting to arrive.

"Can you put concrete in the helipad because my other helicopter is too big, it's on its way, because I just bought three," he told his team in the recording.

He also pressed his crew on the pace of construction, making clear that well-funded projects had no excuse for delays.

"The only challenge is when people do not have money, but when the resources are there, and invoices have been paid, there is nothing that should delay you in executing," he said.

Beyond the helipad, Chivayo shared broader ambitions for the estate, requesting a proper runway, driveway, and supporting infrastructure befitting the scale of the development.

The property at Gandami Village was, in fact, the destination he and his wife were flying to on the afternoon their helicopter went down.

Hired helicopters were his mode of travel

Despite his plans to build a private fleet, Chivayo had not yet taken ownership of any helicopters at the time of his death.

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For his travel needs, he had been relying on aircraft chartered from Themba Nkatazo, who operates Valley Seeds Private Limited and Sky Helicopters, a luxury aviation company offering on-demand charter services to corporate executives, politicians, and high-profile socialites.

The disclosure that one of his three ordered helicopters was reportedly still in transit at the time of the crash lends a particularly poignant note to the story, painting a picture of a man whose ambitions for his Chivhu homestead were far from complete when his life ended so abruptly.

See the X(Twitter) post below:

Wicknell Chivayo's last post triggers questions

YEN.com.gh shared details about Wicknell Chivayo’s final social media post, published hours before he died in a helicopter crash in rural Marondera.

The message, titled “Saved the Best for Last”, included lavish gifts for two longtime lawyers. After news of his death broke, its reflective wording left followers shaken and prompted speculation about its timing.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh