Chivayo’s $550,000 Phantom Arrives After His Death
Story By Staff Reporter
A custom-built Rolls-Royce Phantom worth upwards of $550,000 has arrived in Zimbabwe. It reached Harare on October 23, 2026, two weeks after the burial of businessman Wicknell Chivayo. He had a reputation for extravagant living and ties to some of Africa’s most powerful leaders.
Chivayo and his wife died in a helicopter crash more than three weeks before the car arrived.
The Phantom Arrives After His Death
Zimbabwean publication Humanitarian Post reports that the Phantom was already in international transit when Chivayo died. Customs cleared the car after his death.
Chivayo ordered the vehicle months earlier. He chose bespoke finishes and personalised number plates reading “Wicknell” and “Chibaba”. Similar Phantom models cost between $550,000 and over $800,000.
He planned to add the car to his collection. That collection included a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a Rolls-Royce Ghost and a Bentley Bentayga. He also owned two Lamborghini Urus SUVs, a Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 and a Range Rover Autobiography.
Chivayo also gave away expensive vehicles. His gifts went to musicians, religious leaders and political figures.
$5.1 Million in Dealership Debt Claims
Revelations about unpaid bills have now put his car purchases under scrutiny. ZimLive reports that three Harare luxury car dealerships say Chivayo owed them a combined $5.1 million.
- Faramatsi Motors: $2.4 million
- Exquisite Cars: $1.4 million
- Enterprise Car Sales: $1.3 million
Sources familiar with the deals say Chivayo bought vehicles on credit. He usually paid within three months. Exquisite Cars owner Victor Vikela disputes the figures and says his company has written off any balance.
The disputed claims raise questions about how his estate will be managed. The estate includes luxury vehicles, property and business interests.
Who Was Wicknell Chivayo?
Popularly known as Sir Wicknell, Chivayo was a prominent Zimbabwean businessman. His work in energy infrastructure and government contracts drew public scrutiny.
Through Intratrek Zimbabwe, he won a contract worth more than $170 million. The deal covered a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Gwanda, southern Zimbabwe. Project delays triggered legal disputes and raised questions about his government dealings.
His business interests also reached Kenya. Reports linked his company, IMC Construction Kenya, to the proposed $2.9 billion expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir denied its involvement.
Chivayo also kept ties with influential political figures. He backed Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling ZANU-PF party.
His Connections With African Presidents
Chivayo publicised meetings with several African leaders:
- Kenya’s William Ruto
- Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu
- Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni
- South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa
- Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan
- Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema
- Mozambique’s Daniel Chapo
- Malawi’s Peter Mutharika
- Eswatini’s King Mswati III
He also met former Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera and Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu. These meetings did not necessarily mean close personal relationships.
The Helicopter Crash and Tributes
On September 30, 2026, Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, died in a helicopter crash near Marondera, east of Harare. Everyone on board died. Zimbabwean authorities have launched an investigation. Mourners buried the couple on October 8.
Ruto called Chivayo a close friend after his death. “I will remember him for his friendship, his energy and his deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent,” he said.
Mnangagwa also mourned the couple. He described them as philanthropists whose generosity had benefited Zimbabweans. “We are all shattered by this unexpected, sudden demise of so young a family and officers for whom so much promise held,” he said.
