Zimbabwe: Chivayo and Wife’s Remains to Be Laid to Rest Without Heads Following Horror Helicopter Crash

The bodies of controversial tycoon Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, will be laid to rest this Thursday at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare without their heads, a family spokesperson has said.

The couple died last Wednesday when the Bell 430 helicopter they were flying in crashed in the middle of Kudenga Farm in Marondera.

Chivayo and his wife were travelling from their rural home in Gandami, Chikomba East, when the crash happened.

The couple died along with three other people. On impact their bodies were shred into pieces and scattered across the fields. Fire also consumed some of the remains, making it even harder to identify and gather them. Their heads have still not been found.

Speaking to the media this afternoon, family spokesperson Hebert Chivayo said the burial is planned for Thursday at Glen Forest. Some body parts, including the skulls, are still missing.

“There has been speculation on social media saying that there were four head skulls that were found. That is not true. We did not find any head. There were some pieces of bones that were suspected to be head skulls but they were not. The last things that we found were Sir Wicknell’s wristwatch and my daughter-in-law’s watch,” he said.

In many cultures, a person is buried whole so that the body is treated with dignity and the soul can rest. That comfort has been taken from them. The family has also said there will be no body viewing, so friends and relatives cannot even see the coffin open one last time.

The last memory will be the crash, not the person.

The family representative said the couple will be buried side-by-side, but not in one grave, contrary to some claims on social media.

“They will be buried side-by-side not in one grave. We cannot bury two people in one grave. We have never done that, we have never seen that,” he added.

The family also refuted that Chivayo’s funeral was a private event. They invited anyone who wishes to join them in mourning at the home of the late mogul in Gletwin Park, Harare.

“We have never had a private funeral in our family. Everyone is welcome to this funeral. Wicknell was a man for everyone both the poor and the rich. He was not selective. So stopping people from coming will be contrary to his values. Those who are free to join us at the burial at Glen Forest, you are welcome. Those who want to come and be with us at home you are also welcome,” he said.

Chivayo was declared a provincial hero.

By New Zimbabwe.