Mourners at Glenforest Memorial Park in Harare were moved to tears on Friday as Sir Wicknell Chivayo’s sister delivered one of the most heartbreaking eulogies of the burial service, recounting a series of trips her late brother had practically dragged her on in his final weeks.
The sister, who is based in the United Kingdom, spoke during the joint burial service for Mr and Mrs Chivayo, which ZBC News broadcast live.
She opened by acknowledging she was not someone who was particularly close to her brother in the public, social media sense of things.
“What happened has never happened before to us. I am not a person who is active so much on social media. I couldn’t say I was so close to Wicknell so that I could get likes,” she told mourners.
The trips she almost refused
She then walked mourners through a series of holiday invitations that, at the time, had felt like mere inconvenience. When she visited Zimbabwe, Wicknell immediately suggested she join him in Kenya, where he had business to attend to.
She hesitated, citing her child’s upcoming school term in the UK, but eventually agreed. In Kenya, he asked her to extend the trip further.
“He said he wanted to go to Tanzania and asked me to change my flight tickets. It became so tedious for me. I said, ‘Oh, Wicknell is used to traveling a lot,’ but as for me, my thoughts were really on going back. Another part of me said ah, just do as he is saying,” she recalled.
She complied, and the extended family, including the children, holidayed together in Tanzania before she finally returned to the UK. Just seven days after landing home, Wicknell called again, this time with an invitation to the Seychelles.
“I said to myself, ‘What does this mean?’ I wanted to also decline, but again, another part of me said hey just go,” she said.
She could not finish her words
She, Wicknell, his wife Lucy and the children made the Seychelles trip together. The sister described it as a happy time, full of warmth. It was only after his death that the weight of those moments settled on her.
“We were happy. I didn’t know that he was…” she began, before breaking down completely.
She could not finish the sentence. Those close to the family said she had been trying to say she did not know that Wicknell was bidding her farewell.
In the weeks before his passing, Chivayo had shared images from all three destinations, on yachts and private beaches, surrounded by his family.
What many dismissed as his usual display of wealth now reads, through his sister’s eyes, as a man quietly making memories with the people he loved most.
Sir Wicknell Chivayo and Lucy Chivayo were laid to rest at Glenforest Memorial Park. His brothers Pharo and GSIX received mourners at the family’s Borrowdale mansion before the service.
Did Sonja’s speech move mourners?
We also highlighted facts about Sonja Madzikanda’s emotional farewell speech at Wicknell Chivayo’s funeral, delivered by a friend on her behalf.
Her message focused on forgiveness and the children she shared with Chivayo, moving mourners to tears and drawing praise for her composure in an extraordinarily painful moment.
