Sonja Louise Madzikanda, the former wife of late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, has reached an agreement with his family to jointly administer his estate alongside his sister, Esther Chivayo.
The agreement, signed in Harare on November 3, 2026, proposes that the two women serve as co-executrices following consultations between their respective legal teams.
Madzikanda is represented by Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers, while Esther is represented by Caleb Mucheche and Partners Law Chambers.
In correspondence submitted to the Master of the High Court, Madzikanda’s lawyers confirmed that the parties had reached a consensus on the joint arrangement and requested that the written agreement be placed on the estate’s official record.
Esther’s legal representatives separately confirmed that she had been nominated by the Chivayo family to serve alongside Madzikanda, describing her as the late businessman’s biological sister and next of kin.
The proposed arrangement is intended to safeguard the interests of Chivayo’s two minor children while avoiding the additional costs associated with appointing an independent executor.
If approved, the two women will oversee the identification and documentation of the late businessman’s assets, address outstanding liabilities and legitimate claims, and supervise the eventual distribution of the estate in accordance with Zimbabwean law.
The agreement comes amid an unresolved US$25 million matrimonial property dispute between Madzikanda and Chivayo, which was pending before Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court when he died.
The case was subsequently removed from the court roll following his death, pending the appointment of an executor or executrix who can represent his estate in the proceedings.
Chivayo died on September 30, 2026, in a helicopter crash in Marondera, Zimbabwe, alongside his wife, Lucy Muteke, and three other people.
Although the proposed co-executrix arrangement has been submitted to the Master of the High Court, formal approval and completion of the appointment process are still pending.
Madzikanda’s proposed role in administering the estate does not automatically settle her outstanding matrimonial property claim or guarantee her the amount sought in court.
