An eyewitness has come forward with a haunting account of the moments before and after the helicopter crash that killed Zimbabwean business tycoon Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy, and three other people at Kudenga farm in Marondera on September 30.
The group had been travelling to Chivayo’s rural home, where construction work was under way, when the aircraft came down with catastrophic force.
What the Eyewitness Saw at the Crash Site
A man identified as Tonea described the terrifying scale of the impact, noting that the helicopter did not simply fall and stop.
After striking the ground, it continued moving across the farm for close to 200 metres, a detail confirmed by the pattern of charred grass at the scene.
“It fell and made a very huge impact. The propellers made very deep cuts, showing that by the time it hit the ground, the propellers were still running — even the expert said that. After crashing, it went almost 200 metres where some of the deceased’s remains were found,” he stated.
Tonea explained that the sheer violence of the impact shattered both the aircraft and its occupants, which is why recovery teams required considerable time to locate and retrieve the remains of those who perished.
The helicopter itself, he said, was reduced to almost nothing.
Only One Item Identified at the Scene
Among the wreckage and debris spread across the sprawling farm, investigators were able to positively identify only a single personal item: an identity card belonging to Lucy Chivayo. All other belongings remained scattered across the site.
Tonea also pointed out that a river runs through the area, and reflected on how much more difficult the recovery operation would have been had the aircraft come down in the water rather than on land.
“I can imagine how traumatic this was for those who died, looking at how their remains were found,” he said, conveying the gravity of what responders encountered when they arrived.
