Wicknell Chivayo and wife to be buried without heads after helicopter crash
· The South African
Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke will be buried in Harare this week despite parts of their remains not being recovered following their fatal helicopter crash.
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The couple will be laid to rest side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery on Thursday, 8 October, following the completion of forensic and DNA identification procedures on the remains recovered from the crash site.
According to state broadcaster ZBC News, the decision was reached by the Chivayo and Muteke families after forensic experts completed the identification process.
However, the burial will take place under extraordinary circumstances after the family confirmed that the heads of Chivayo and Lucy were not recovered from the wreckage.
Chivayo and Lucy’s missing remains
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo said the helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm near Marondera on 30 September before a fire broke out.
The crash claimed the lives of Chivayo, Lucy, two pilots and Lucy’s aide.
The severity of the crash and subsequent fire left the victims’ remains badly damaged.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the family spokesperson confirmed that some body parts are still missing.
“There has been speculation on social media that there ere four head skulls that were found. That is not true,” he said.
“We did not find any head. There were some pieces of skulls that were suspected to be head skulls, but they were not. The last things thsat were found were Sir Wicknell’s wrist watch and my daughter in law’s watch.”
Earlier in the recovery process, forensic experts were called in to assist with the identification of the remains.
ZBC reported that the five bodies recovered from the crash were taken into the custody of the Criminal Investigations Department for forensic examinations and DNA testing.
The process was considered necessary because of the condition of the remains following the crash and fire.
Chivayo and wife to have public burial
Despite the circumstances surrounding their deaths, the couple’s funeral will be open to members of the public.
Herbert said the decision to hold the burial at Glen Forest Cemetery was partly influenced by the number of people who knew Chivayo and Lucy in Harare.
The family said friends, colleagues and members of the public would be allowed to attend and pay their final respects.
The burial arrangements mark the next stage in a tragedy that has attracted widespread attention across Zimbabwe and the region.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa confirmed Chivayo’s death following the helicopter crash.
The Associated Press also reported that the crash caused a fire and that authorities initially faced difficulties identifying the victims.
Investigations into what caused the helicopter to crash remain ongoing.
The couple’s burial on Thursday will therefore take place without a conventional viewing, with only the recovered and identified remains being laid to rest.