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

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 revealed 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, a video that has since circulated online reveals.

Wicknell Chivayo, Wicknell Chivayo helicopter crash, Zimbabwe businessman, Chivayo helicopter orders, Gandami Village helipad, Chivhu property, private helicopter fleet, Sky Helicopters
Wicknell Chivayo passed away in a helicopter crash on September 30. Photo source: @sirwicknell
Source: Facebook

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 revelation 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.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah avatar

Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah (HOD Entertainment) Jeffrey is the Head of the Entertainment Desk and a graduate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He started as a reporter with Ghana News Agency (GNA). He joined Primnewsghana.com in 2016 as an editor. He moved to YEN.com.gh in 2017 as an editor and has risen to his current position. You can contact him via e-mail: j.owusu-mensah@yen.com.gh