Fidelis Munyoro, Chief Court Reporter
SONJA LOUISE MADZIKANDA and Esther Chivayo are set to jointly administer the estate of the late Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo after reaching an agreement to serve as co-executrices, potentially bringing a measure of consensus to the administration of the high-profile estate and the protection of the deceased’s two minor children.
The proposed arrangement, formalised through their respective legal practitioners and submitted to the Master of the High Court in Harare, provides for both women to work together in overseeing the estate, following consultations between interested parties.
The agreement marks a significant development in the administration of Estate DR 5427/26, with the two legal teams now asking the Master to formally consider and place the agreement on the estate record.
In a letter dated November 3, 2026, Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers, representing Madzikanda, confirmed that consensus had been reached on the joint arrangement.
The lawyers stated: “Following consultations between the interested parties, consensus has been reached for the appointment of co-executors to the estate, the co-executors being Ms Sonja Louise Madzikanda and Ms Esther Chivayo respectively.”
The firm added that the parties had entered into a written agreement and requested that a copy be placed on the deceased’s estate record for consideration.
“We respectfully request that the agreement be placed on and made part of the record of the deceased estate for your consideration and record,” the lawyers wrote.
Madzikanda is represented by Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers, while Esther Chivayo is represented by Caleb Mucheche and Partners Law Chambers.
In a separate letter dated November 4, 2026, Caleb Mucheche and Partners Law Chambers reinforced the arrangement, telling the Master that their client, Esther Chivayo, had been unanimously nominated by the family to serve as co-executrix.
The letter, addressed to the Office of the Master of the High Court and copied to Madzikanda’s legal representatives, describes Esther as the late businessman’s biological sister and next of kin.
Mucheche’s firm wrote: “Ms Esther Chivayo was unanimously nominated uncontested by the entire family to be the co-executrix of the estate of the late Wicknell Chivayo.”
The lawyers said the nomination was intended to safeguard the interests of the deceased’s two young children while avoiding the additional expense of appointing an independent executor or executrix.
They further stated that the agreement signed by Esther and Madzikanda in Harare on November 3 and lodged with the Master’s Office was, in their view, lawful, legitimate and legally binding between the parties.
The letter reads: “We do hereby unequivocally confirm that the co-executrix agreement signed between our client Esther Chivayo and Sonya Madzikanda at Harare on 3 November 2026 and was lodged at your offices is lawful, legitimate, and legally binding between the parties.”
Mucheche also requested that future correspondence concerning the estate be channelled to his client through his law firm.
The correspondence signals a willingness by the two camps to pursue a joint administrative arrangement rather than proceed with competing nominations.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of growing public interest in the administration of Chivayo’s estate, following his death alongside his wife, Lucy Muteke, in a helicopter crash in Marondera on September 30, 2026.
As previously reported by The Sunday Mail, the family had registered the estate with the Master of the High Court approximately three weeks before the newspaper’s November 1, report.
The publication reported that an initial meeting had been held, but no executor or executrix had yet been appointed at that stage.
A senior official at the Master’s Office confirmed the registration, saying:
“We can confirm that the estate has since been registered about three weeks ago, and a first meeting held. But the executor or executrix of the estate is yet to be appointed.”
Another source close to the estate told the publication that the office was not yet ready to disclose details of its administration.
The estate is believed to comprise substantial business interests and personal assets, although its actual value has not been officially established.
Its administration is expected to involve the identification and valuation of assets, the establishment of liabilities, consideration of legitimate claims and, ultimately, distribution to the legally entitled beneficiaries.
The process also has to take into account the welfare and financial security of the two minor children left behind by the late businessman.
One of the issues expected to feature prominently in the administration is the unresolved matrimonial property dispute involving Madzikanda and the late businessman.
The Sunday Mail previously reported that a US$25 million matrimonial property and asset division dispute involving Madzikanda had been awaiting determination by the Supreme Court when Chivayo died.
The proceedings were subsequently removed from the court roll pending the substitution of the deceased by an executor or executrix capable of representing his estate.
His lawyer, Advocate Sylvester Hashiti, confirmed the development, saying:
“The matter was removed from the roll on account of appellant’s demise until such a time he is substituted by his executor or executrix who will represent him in court as concerns any claims against his estate.”
The appointment of the estate’s representative is therefore important not only for the administration of assets but also for the handling of outstanding legal proceedings involving the deceased.
The extent of the estate, the status of any will, the liabilities that may emerge and the claims of interested parties will all have to be established through the appropriate legal processes.
For now, the November 3 agreement and the two law firms’ correspondence place a proposed joint arrangement formally before the Master of the High Court.
While both legal teams have expressed their support for the arrangement, the letters do not themselves establish that the Master has issued formal letters of administration or completed the appointment.
That decision remains an important next step.
If approved, the proposed co-executrix arrangement would place Madzikanda and Esther at the centre of the estate’s administration, with both expected to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the law and the interests of the beneficiaries.
For a family confronting the loss of a businessman whose wealth and commercial interests have attracted considerable public attention, the agreement represents an important attempt to establish a common administrative path.
The immediate question is now whether the Master of the High Court will formally endorse the proposed arrangement and set the estate’s administration in motion.
