WATCH LIVE: Wicknell Chivayo and wife Lucy Muteke’s funeral proceedings

Popular Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke are being laid to rest today in Harare.

Proceedings are underway as friends, church members and thousands of mourners gather to bid the couple farewell.

Chivayo and Muteke are expected to be laid to rest at Sahwira Glen Forest Memorial Park in Harare, bringing to an end days of mourning following their deaths in a helicopter crash.

The couple will be laid to rest side by side at Glen Forest Cemetery, following the completion of forensic and DNA identification procedures on the remains recovered from the crash site.

However, the burial will take place under extraordinary circumstances after the family confirmed that the heads of Chivayo and Lucy were not recovered from the wreckage.

WATCH WICKNELL CHIVAYO FUNERAL PROCEEDINGS LIVE BELOW:

Chivayo funeral: Mourners gather in Harare

Large crowds are expected to attend the funeral as the couple’s final journey continues.

The remains of Chivayo and Muteke were taken from Doves Funeral Services to the family home in Gletwyn on Wednesday following an emotional procession through Harare.

The procession attracted large crowds, with police closing several roads to manage traffic and accommodate mourners.

A convoy of luxury vehicles, including Rolls-Royces and high-end Mercedes-Benz models, accompanied the hearses during the procession.

Chivayo and wife to be buried side by side

The couple will be buried at Sahwira Glen Forest Memorial Park, where their graves have been prepared ahead of the ceremony.

The family previously confirmed that Chivayo and Muteke would be buried side by side.

There will be no traditional viewing of the bodies because of the condition of the remains following the helicopter crash.