Twenty-seven people have died after a Zimbabwe kombi crash on the Harare-Masvingo highway. Police confirmed the toll on Saturday, following a head-on collision between a minibus carrying churchgoers and a haulage truck.
The accident happened at around 20:30 on Friday night. It occurred near Makumimavi Primary School, along the 132-kilometre peg of the highway close to Chivhu, a town roughly 130 kilometres south of Harare.
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, quoted by NewZimbabwe.com, said the Nissan Caravan NV350 kombi was carrying an unspecified number of passengers when it collided head-on with a Volvo haulage truck.
The truck was foreign-registered, Commissioner Nyathi said. He explained that it had allegedly been attempting to overtake another vehicle when the crash occurred.
Those on board the minibus were members of the African Apostolic Church, commonly known as Mwazha. They were travelling between Dema and Mvuma to attend a church conference, according to the same police statement carried by NewZimbabwe.com.
The kombi burst into flames on impact, investigators say, and was reduced to a burnt-out shell. Images of the wreckage have since circulated on social media and local news platforms.
Seven passengers survived with injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Bodies of those who died in the Zimbabwe kombi crash have been moved to Chivhu Hospital mortuary. Police say formal identification will only proceed once relatives of the victims have been notified.
Commissioner Nyathi offered condolences to the bereaved families on behalf of the police service. He confirmed that a full investigation into the circumstances of the crash is now under way.
This is not the first time a church congregation travelling to a gathering has been caught up in a fatal road accident in Zimbabwe. Even so, the scale of this Zimbabwe kombi crash has shocked many across the region.
Overloaded buses, ageing minibuses and long-distance night travel remain common features of church convoys heading to conferences and revivals.
Road safety campaigners have long pointed to poor road conditions, reckless overtaking and vehicle overloading as recurring factors behind Zimbabwe’s high rate of fatal crashes.
Parts of the Harare-Masvingo highway, like many major routes in the country, suffer from poor lighting and uneven surfaces. This makes night driving especially hazardous.
The scale of Friday’s crash has already drawn comparisons with earlier tragedies involving churchgoers on Zimbabwean roads, including a bus accident that killed dozens of worshippers travelling to an Easter gathering in past years.
Families in Dema, Mvuma and surrounding communities are now waiting anxiously for confirmation of names. Police continue processing the scene and gathering evidence from both vehicles involved.
The Zimbabwe kombi crash has once again placed a spotlight on the safety of public transport used for long-distance religious travel, particularly at night and along routes shared with heavy freight traffic.
Authorities have not yet said whether the truck driver has been arrested or charged. Police say more details on the Zimbabwe kombi crash will be released as the investigation progresses.
new leadership. new orders. forward. 🪖🇿🇼