Businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, will be buried without their heads after the remains were not recovered following last week’s helicopter crash in Marondera.
The couple will be laid to rest side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare on Thursday, according to family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo.
The crash, which occurred at Kudenga Farm in Marondera last Wednesday, also claimed the lives of two pilots and a security officer.
Herbert said the victims’ bodies were severely burnt when the helicopter crashed and caught fire, making the recovery and identification of remains difficult.
He said forensic officials initially considered the possibility that some of the recovered remains could have been parts of the victims’ heads. However, subsequent examinations established that this was not the case.
“There have been reports on social media that the heads were found, but that is not true. No head was found,” Herbert said.
The clarification comes amid widespread speculation on social media regarding the recovery of the victims’ remains following the fatal crash.
The Chivayos’ burial is expected to draw mourners from across Zimbabwe, with the businessman having been a prominent figure in the country’s business, entertainment and philanthropic circles.
The authorities have been conducting investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
