Sonja Madzikanda Seeks Court Order to Ground Estranged Husband's Private Jet Amid Divorce Proceedings
Sonja Madzikanda has filed an urgent application in the South African High Court to ground a luxury jet linked to her estranged husband, businessman Wicknell Chivayo, as part of ongoing divorce proceedings.
Sonja Louise Madzikanda has approached the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria) seeking to ground a luxury jet associated with her estranged husband, businessman Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo. This move is part of her efforts to secure a share of their assets amid ongoing divorce proceedings in the Harare High Court.
The urgent application, filed on January 20, 2026, is part of a broader legal battle in which Madzikanda aims to prevent Chivayo from disposing of what she describes as joint matrimonial assets. These include high-end properties, luxury vehicles, and substantial funds held in multiple company accounts. She is seeking a court order to restrain Chivayo from "dissipating or concealing the joint assets... or acting in any manner that depletes, diminishes or reduces the value of the assets."
A focal point of the application is the private aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 300 jet, which Madzikanda wants immobilized. The order directs aviation authorities to "restrain, prohibit and interdict the further movement of that aeroplane" upon notification of its arrival at any airport under their control.
Madzikanda is also requesting orders against financial institutions and regulatory authorities to prevent any withdrawals, transfers, or changes to ownership of the listed assets. The order specifies that no transactions should be processed that could reduce bank balances or alter property titles linked to Chivayo or his associated entities.
These South African proceedings run parallel to an acrimonious divorce case between the two, which is still before the Harare High Court under case number HCHF 62/26. The dispute has already extended into the courts through a separate custody fight, highlighting deepening tensions between the estranged couple.
Madzikanda maintains she is entitled to a substantial share of the matrimonial estate, and her latest court move signals a determined push to secure control over key assets, with the luxury jet now at the center of the escalating legal fight.
