Was Wicknell Chivayo’s Gulfstream Jet, Now Repositioned to Switzerland Weeks After His Death, Rented?
HARARE — The Gulfstream G550 private jet long associated with late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, registration T7-WMC, has been flown to Basel, Switzerland, according to reports and social media claims circulating Sunday.
Chivayo, who died in a helicopter crash near Marondera on September 30, 2026, along with his wife Lucy Muteke and others, had publicly presented the aircraft as a US$34 million purchase.
The helicopter that crashed was hired from Sky Helicopters, a luxury charter and rental company owned by Zimbabwean businessman Themba Nkatazo (also associated with Valley Seeds).
Chivayo announced the acquisition earlier in the year, saying the ultra-long-range jet was “ready for collection” and capable of nonstop flights of about 12,500 kilometres.
The plane, featuring custom markings including his initials and religious symbolism, was delivered around June 2026 and used for high-profile travel, including a trip to Nairobi.
Reports indicate the jet left Zimbabwe on or about October 18 and landed in Basel.
Aviation tracking and local coverage have noted the move occurred weeks after Chivayo’s death, with questions raised about who authorised the repositioning and under what arrangements.
On Sunday, Zimbabwean social media user Rutendo Matinyarare posted that the aircraft “is back in Switzerland where it was rented from,” asserting that despite Chivayo’s repeated claims of ownership, it had been leased from a Swiss company that has now retaken it.
The post included a photograph of the jet’s distinctive tail fin bearing the T7-WMC registration.
Independent confirmation of a formal lease or repossession was not immediately available.
Earlier in 2026, social media commentators had alleged that Chivayo was using rented aircraft while another jet linked to him remained in Basel for maintenance; those claims were not independently verified at the time.
Pre-delivery records had listed prior ownership involving leasing entities.
Chivayo’s estate remains under administration. His former wife, Sonja Louise Madzikanda, and his sister Esther Chivayo have been named co-executrices.
Outstanding questions about assets, including the jet, luxury vehicles and property holdings, continue to surface amid reported debts and legal claims stemming from divorce proceedings and other disputes.
The Gulfstream G550 is a long-range business jet typically seating 14 to 19 passengers.
Its current status in Switzerland adds to the unresolved details surrounding the late businessman’s high-profile aviation assets.
Tomorrow the Master of the High Court is set to formally issue letters of administration appointing Ms. Sonja Madzikanda (the late businessman’s ex-wife) and Ms. Esther Chivayo (his sister) as co-executors of the estate of the late businessman and philanthropist..