Antony Chawagarira
Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s final social media message has taken on a different meaning following his death in a helicopter crash in Marondera on Wednesday evening, with the timing and wording of the post leaving many people reflecting on whether some individuals ever get a sense that their days are numbered.
Hours before the fatal crash, Chivayo had taken to X to appreciate two lawyers who had supported him for decades, describing their relationships in terms of friendship, mentorship, loyalty and brotherhood.
His lengthy post, published at about 8.20am, was headlined: “APPRECIATING RELATIONSHIPS BUILT OVER DECADES… SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST.”
At the time, there was nothing to suggest that the businessman was bidding farewell to the world. Instead, he was celebrating relationships he had built during his rise in business and acknowledging people who had stood by him through different stages of his life.
Chivayo said he had known lawyer Wilson Tatenda Manase since 1998, when he (Chivayo) was renting a single room in Hillside and trying to establish himself.
He described Manase as a father figure, mentor, brother, adviser and trusted confidant before promising him a 2026 Lexus GX 550 and US$250 000 in cash.
He also promised lawyer Sylvester Hashiti a 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography and US$500 000 in cash, saying the gifts were intended to recognise years of professional service, friendship, mentorship and loyalty.
But it was his words “saved the best for last” that would assume a chilling significance several hours later.
At around 5pm, a helicopter carrying six people crashed in Marondera Rural, with authorities later confirming that there were no survivors. Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, were among those who died.
The tragic turn of events has since seen social media users return to Chivayo’s final post, particularly the parts in which he spoke about appreciating people and thanking those who had been with him through the years.
He concluded his message by thanking the two lawyers for their counsel, mentorship and friendship, writing: “THANK YOU for the counsel, the mentorship, the friendship and above all for simply being there through the years.”
The circumstances have inevitably drawn comparisons with other Zimbabwean personalities whose final words, songs or social media posts were later viewed differently following their deaths.
Yesteryear musicians such as System Tazvida, Simon Chimbetu and Leonard Dembo have had songs or lyrics that, after their deaths, were interpreted by some listeners as having contained references to their own mortality.
Similarly, the late businessman and philanthropist Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure’s social media activity shortly before his death in a road accident in November 2020 has continued to attract attention. His post saying “It’s getting down” was later revisited by followers in light of his sudden death.
Chivayo’s final message has now entered the same space of public reflection, although there is no evidence that he knew he was going to die or that the post was intended as a farewell.
In fact, his message reads more like a deliberate appreciation of people who had played important roles in his life than a prediction of what was to come. Yet the timing has made the words difficult for many people to read in the same way.
What began as a message of gratitude in the morning had, by evening, become the final public message of a businessman whose life had been abruptly cut short.
Whether “saved the best for last” was simply an expression used in the context of appreciating his friends or whether it carried a meaning that only became apparent after his death remains open to interpretation.
For now, Chivayo’s final post stands as a remarkable final record of a man reflecting on relationships, gratitude and the people who had accompanied him through his journey, only hours before tragedy struck.
