The private jet long associated with late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has been flown to Basel, Switzerland, weeks after his death, prompting a public dispute over whether he ever owned the aircraft.

The Gulfstream G550, registration T7-WMC, which Chivayo had publicly presented as a 34 million US dollar purchase, left Zimbabwe on or about 18 October 2026 and landed in Basel, according to aviation tracking and local media reports.

Chivayo, 43, died in a helicopter crash near Marondera on 30 September 2026, along with his wife Lucy Muteke and others on board. The crash ended the life of a businessman whose public image was built on government contracts, lavish gifts and displays of wealth.

Rented or owned?

Activist Rutendo Matinyarare claimed on social media on Sunday that the aircraft was in fact leased from a Swiss company, and that it had been returned to Switzerland after Chivayo's death. The claim directly contradicts Chivayo's public announcement that he had bought the jet.

Independent confirmation of a formal lease or repossession was not immediately available, and the reports stress that the rental claim remains an allegation.

Chivayo's family has rejected the claim. His brother, speaking through an aide named Shamase, said the aircraft was purchased in April 2026 in a deal reportedly worth 34 million US dollars, and that the family holds full documentation, including purchase receipts, invoices and ownership papers.

According to the family, the jet's flight to Basel was a routine maintenance trip, and its presence in Switzerland is not evidence of a lease or repossession. Shamase challenged critics to produce documentary evidence to support the rental allegation.

Estate under scrutiny

The dispute over the jet is part of wider questions about Chivayo's estate. Car dealers have come forward claiming he died owing more than 5.1 million US dollars in outstanding vehicle payments, according to a report by ZimLive on 20 October 2026.

The Master of the High Court is set to formally issue letters of administration appointing Sonja Madzikanda, Chivayo's former wife, and Esther Chivayo, his sister, as co-executors of the estate.

For now, who authorised the jet's move to Switzerland, and under what arrangements, remains unclear. The aircraft, delivered around June 2026 with custom markings including Chivayo's initials, had been used for high-profile travel, including a trip to Nairobi.

The row is the latest chapter in the unravelling of the fortune Chivayo claimed to have built, with his estate, his property deals and his debts all now under examination in Harare.