By Advent Shoko | ZiGoats
Zimbabwean lawyer and former Mt Pleasant MP Fadzayi Mahere has delivered a pointed message following the death of flamboyant businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, using the tragedy to revisit her calls for Zimbabwe to invest in functional emergency services.
Mahere’s message carries a striking irony: she has long argued that resources should go towards strengthening public services rather than luxury and political extravagance. Following Chivayo’s death, she says the helicopter tragedy has shown exactly why those services matter.
Her message, in essence, is: this is what we meant when we warned that Zimbabwe needed functioning emergency services.
Chivayo and Muteke died after their helicopter crashed at around 5pm on 30 September near Marondera.
According to reports surrounding the aftermath, the bodies remained at the crash site overnight and were recovered the following morning.
The family later announced that some essential body parts, including the heads of the deceased, could not be recovered, with reports indicating that some were either consumed by the fire or taken away by wild animals.
For Mahere, the circumstances raise difficult questions about how the crash site was handled and whether more could have been done to protect the victims and recover their remains.
“When we say fix the nation’s emergency services, this is what we mean,” Mahere said.
‘Why are they now surprised?’
Mahere questioned why the crash site was not secured and illuminated during the night, arguing that leaving the remains exposed for hours created further risks.
“The helicopter crash happened at around 5pm. The deceased persons’ bodies were left outside to be ravaged by the elements and stolen by wild animals until around 8am, the next day,” she said.
“Why are they now surprised that crucial body parts, including the heads of the deceased persons, are missing?”
She also questioned whether authorities conducted an active search for the missing remains and whether sufficient forensic resources were deployed immediately after the crash.
“Every person who has passed away in a tragedy deserves dignity,” Mahere said.
“To be buried with such an important body part must be grueling for those who remain. Was there an active search to recover them?”
She further questioned why basic equipment, including floodlights, was apparently not deployed at the scene.
“What prevented them from installing a flood light at the scene, doing the necessary forensic work and retrieving the bodies that night?” she asked.
The warning Mahere says was ignored
Mahere said the tragedy highlighted the consequences of failing to build emergency systems capable of responding quickly when people are at their most vulnerable.
“If an accident happens on a road, do you just leave the bodies there all night and then come when the sun comes up as if we are in the dark ages?” she asked.
She also referred to the Kariba disaster in which about 100 people lost their lives when an overloaded boat capsized, saying earlier warnings about weaknesses in Zimbabwe’s emergency response had not been heeded.
“When we raised this crisis when the Kariba Disaster happened, why did they not take heed?” Mahere said.
Her argument takes on added weight when viewed against Chivayo’s highly publicised spending.
Chivayo’s US$32.2 million in gifts
Chivayo became known for high-profile cash handouts, luxury vehicles and other expensive gifts to individuals, musicians, sports personalities and organisations.
Based on publicly reported donations and gifts, the value has been estimated at approximately US$32.2 million.
Critics, including voices calling for stronger public services, argued that money of that scale could instead have been channelled into healthcare, emergency services and productive sectors facing persistent shortages.
Chivayo continued to make highly publicised donations and gifts, often presenting them as personal acts of generosity.
Now, following his death, the debate has acquired a painful irony.
The businessman who had access to considerable private wealth ultimately became dependent on the same public emergency, forensic and disaster-response systems that critics have long argued need greater investment.
For Mahere, the issue was never simply about Chivayo’s personal spending. It was about national priorities and the need to build institutions that work when people are most vulnerable.
That is what makes one part of her message particularly striking.
“When we say don’t waste public money on private jets, Rolls Royces, million-dollar watches and luxury mansions, it’s not because we hate you,” she said.
“It’s not a personal attack. It is because we want our public services to be solid enough to ensure every person is treated with dignity when they’re vulnerable and need the system to work the most, including you.”
The words “including you” now carry a different weight following Chivayo’s death.
Mahere’s point is that functional public services are not only for ordinary citizens. Even the wealthiest people can one day need emergency responders, forensic investigators, rescue teams and properly equipped disaster sites.
‘Here we are’
Mahere said warnings about public-service failures had instead been met with political slogans and attacks on critics.
“Instead of heeding this call, you call us names, chant 2040 and think you’re above the need for a functional public service system,” she said.
“Here we are.”
Her final message was blunt.
Leave a Reply