Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

President Emmerson Mnangagwa says the nation has been left numbed and in deep shock following the tragic death of Mr and Mrs Chivayo, two crew members and a security aide in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon.

In a condolence message issued last night, the President said the sudden passing of the young family and officers had shattered the nation.

“The sudden and unexpected tragic passing on of Mr and Mrs Chivayo, two crew members and a security aide in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon left our Nation, my family, and me personally numbed and in deep shock and grief,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We are all shattered by this unexpected, sudden demise of so young a family and officers for whom so much promise held.”

The President described the late Wicknell Chivayo as consummately philanthropic, saying the Chivayo family touched many lives through countless acts of charity and generosity running into millions of dollars.

“Its generous hand cut across sectors and reached many individuals: in politics, religion, public service, culture, sport and many different professions,” he said.

He said Chivayo had a grand vision for his family, for the country, the Southern African sub-region and the African continent, and had deepened the country’s engagement and re-engagement programme.

“Indeed, he embodied the Second Republic’s ethos of indigenous enterprise tempered with a human face, an admirable legacy which is sure to inspire a generation.”

President Mnangagwa revealed that Chivayo had shared grand plans for the nation, principally for the less privileged and war veterans, only on Tuesday after Cabinet, a day before his tragic end.

He said the Chivayos lost their lives on their way back from Gandami in rural Chikomba where they were pursuing the Government’s policy on rural industrialisation and community development.

“On behalf of our Nation, my family and on my behalf, I wish to express my deepest, heartfelt condolences to the Chivayo Family, and to the families of all those lost in yesterday’s tragic crash,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We mourn with and stand by them in this hour of deep, inconsolable grief and pain.”

He said the bereaved families should find solace in the great work the departed rendered to the nation.

“May their dear souls be rested eternally,” he said.