Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa made his first appearance at the family home of businessman Wicknell Chivayo on Friday, arriving in a Mercedes-Maybach bearing the presidential "ZIM 1" number plates to console the bereaved family, in a visit that drew intense public scrutiny given his long and controversial relationship with the tycoon.

Mnangagwa travelled to the Chivayo family residence in Gletwin, Harare, where he personally offered condolences to Chivayo's children and their mother, Sonja Madzikanda, Chivayo's former wife. The visit came after Mnangagwa had already publicly mourned Chivayo, describing his death as sudden and devastating, and recalling that the businessman had shared plans for the country with him on Sept. 29, just a day before the fatal helicopter crash that killed Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke, and three others on Sept. 30.

The president's arrival, captured on video by Zimbabwean broadcaster HeraldZimbabwe, sparked a sharp reaction online, with some Zimbabweans questioning what they characterised as the hypocrisy of senior officials mourning a figure whose closeness to political power had long drawn controversy. One widely shared comment read: "The same people that made Chivayo killed him and they are now arriving in fancy cars to shed crocodile tears." Another commentator wrote simply: "What a spectacle." These remarks reflect public suspicion and criticism circulating online rather than any established finding; no official or independent source has suggested the crash was anything other than an accident, and Zimbabwean aviation authorities have said the cause remains under investigation.

The funeral wake was later moved from the Stanchart family home to Chivayo's larger Gletwin mansion in Chishawasha Hills, following the arrival from the United Kingdom of his sisters. According to a post from the verified ZimLive account, guards stationed at the Gletwin property's gate turned away journalists from independent media outlets, with one guard reportedly stating: "Only ZBC allowed," referring to Zimbabwe's state broadcaster. The restriction drew further online criticism, with some Zimbabweans questioning what the family might be seeking to control about coverage of the event.

Commentary published in Zimbabwean media has contrasted the public reaction to Chivayo's death with that of another prominent Zimbabwean businessman, Genius "Ginimbi" Kadungure, who died in a car crash in 2020 and was mourned by large, unified crowds despite pandemic restrictions. Chivayo's death, by contrast, has produced what one analysis described as "a complicated mixture of genuine family sorrow, deep-seated political argument, internet memes, and, in several public quarters, undisguised celebration and hostility." Chivayo's long and close association with Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF, including his public endorsement of calls for Mnangagwa to remain in office beyond constitutional term limits, had itself drawn sustained criticism from opposition figures and civil society in Zimbabwe well before his death, with critics describing his influence over the president as improper given his history of corruption allegations.