27 DEAD IN ZIM ROAD ACCIDENT
By Chengetai Zvauya
At least 27 people have died in a head-on collision between a minibus and a cargo truck on a road in central Zimbabwe last night, police reported Saturday.
The accident took place on the Harare-Masvingo highway near the city of Chivhu, just over 140 kilometers from the capital, Harare.
“Yes, we confirm a fatal road accident that occurred yesterday at kilometer 130 of the Harare-Masvingo road, near Makumimavi Primary School. Twenty-seven people died,” confirmed Zimbabwe Police spokesman Paul Nyathi, in statements reported by the state-run newspaper The Herald.
Due to the collision, the minibus caught fire and was completely destroyed by the flames, as can be seen in videos released by local media.
Two survivors, including the truck driver, are in critical condition and are receiving treatment at a hospital.
Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Accidents of this type are frequent on Zimbabwe’s roads, where on June 16 at least nine people died and another 26 were injured when a freight train and a bus collided at a level crossing in the town of Triangle (southeast).
According to data published in 2025 by Zimbabwe’s National Statistics Agency, the African country recorded 2,419 deaths and 11,544 injuries in the 59,928 accidents recorded during that year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Zimbabwe in 2022 as having the highest rate of fatal road accidents in southern Africa, noting that bus drivers and their passengers account for 50% of road fatalities in the country. EFE