Produced by: Hitansh Gaur
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Harpal Randhawa, owner of RioZim mining company, and his son Amer Randhawa died in a plane crash in Zimbabwe on Friday last week.
A single-engine Cessna 206 aircraft carrying six passengers, including Randhawa and his son, crashed last week while it was on its way from Harare to Murowa diamond mines in Zimbabwe. The plane took off from Harare at 6 AM and crashed near the mines between 7:30 am and 8 am.
The local authorities are yet to reveal the identities of the deceased, but journalist and filmmaker Chino’no Hopewell confirmed the death of the mining tycoon in a post on X (Twitter).
Hopewell, who is also known to be a friend of Randhawa, wrote in a post on X, “I am deeply saddened with the passing of Harpal Randhawa, the owner of Rio Zim who died today in a plane crash in Zvishavane. 5 other people, including his son who was also a pilot, but a passenger on this flight also died in the crash.”
Harpal Randhawa was the owner of RioZim, a mining company in Zimbabwe which produces gold, coal along with refined copper and nickel. Randhawa also owned diamond mines in Zimbabwe and was a prominent figure in the African country.
Apart from RioZim, Harpal Randhawa was also the founder of GEM Holdings, a private equity firm worth $4 billion. He has served as the chairman of GEM for 30 years since its formation in 1993. Randhawa has also been a partner at Sabre Capital Worldwide for the past 12 years and an advisor to real estate firm Safanad for the past three years.
60-year-old Harpal Randhawa reportedly completed his education at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the University of London.
Harpal Randhawa’s son Amer Kabir Singh Randhawa has also died in the crash. The 22-year-old was reportedly a trained pilot but he was travelling as a passenger on this flight.
Journalist Chino’no Hopewell shared the picture of an invitation to the memorial service of Harpal Randhawa and his son. But he recently announced on X about the postponement of the service. Hopewell cited that the state authorities are “yet to finish all the required procedures”.