Ex-wife once arrested on Chivayo’s complaint now jointly controls his multimillion-dollar estate
HARARE — The bitter legal battles that once saw Sonja Madzikanda arrested at the instance of her former husband Wicknell Chivayo have taken a striking turn, with the same woman now appointed co-executrix of the late businessman’s multimillion-dollar estate.
Madzikanda will administer the estate jointly with Chivayo’s sister, Esther Chivayo, according to a report published this week by state-owned The Herald.
The appointment places the mother of Chivayo’s two children in a position of formal control over assets believed to be worth millions of US dollars, more than a month after the businessman died in a helicopter crash near Marondera on 30 September 2026 that also killed his wife Lucy Muteke and three others.
The development carries particular weight because Madzikanda still has a US$25 million matrimonial claim that was pending before the Supreme Court when Chivayo died.
She had sought a lump-sum payment of US$25 million, monthly maintenance of US$40,000, an annual lifestyle allowance of US$1 million, properties in Harare and Johannesburg, and several luxury vehicles.
Their acrimonious separation had already produced high-profile confrontations.
In May 2026 Chivayo lodged complaints that led to the arrest of Madzikanda and her mother, Tabitha Madzikanda, on charges of cyberbullying and harassment.
He later withdrew the charges after saying the two had been punished enough: “Vanzvwa butter.
Prosecutors alleged the pair accessed Chivayo’s phone during the marriage, downloaded photographs and videos, and circulated artificial-intelligence-generated images purporting to show him with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Separate claims involved a children’s investment account. Both women were detained and briefly remanded in custody before Chivayo withdrew the charges, saying he had forgiven them for the sake of their children.
With Chivayo’s death, the Supreme Court matter was removed from the roll pending the appointment of an executor or executrix to represent the estate.
Madzikanda and Esther Chivayo are now expected to compile an inventory of assets, settle outstanding debts and oversee the eventual distribution of the estate under the supervision of the Master of the High Court.
The estate was registered with the Master’s office several weeks after the crash, but no formal appointment of an administrator had been made until this week.
Chivayo, founder of Intratrek Zimbabwe and a businessman known for government-linked contracts and high-profile philanthropy, was buried with Muteke on 8 October 2026.