Chivhu Accident: Police Reveal New Details After 27 Mwazha Congregants Die

27 Die In Chivhu Crash Involving Mwazha Congregants As Police Reveal New Details

Police have released new details about the deadly Chivhu accident that killed 27 people after a crash involving a commuter omnibus carrying African Apostolic Church (Mwazha) congregants on the Harare-Masvingo Highway.

Police Reveal Preliminary Cause Of Chivhu Crash

The accident happened on Friday evening, 28 August 2026, near Chivhu.

The congregants were travelling from Dema to Mvuma for a church conference when the commuter omnibus collided head-on with a foreign-registered haulage truck.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said preliminary investigations pointed to an overtaking manoeuvre.

“It is alleged that the foreign-registered truck was trying to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the commuter omnibus,” Commissioner Nyathi said.

Police said investigations were continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.

18 Bodies Identified After Fatal Accident

Seven survivors were transferred to Chitungwiza General Hospital in critical condition.

Meanwhile, relatives gathered at Chivhu General Hospital as identification of the deceased continued.

By Saturday, 29 August, 18 bodies had been identified by relatives. Three other victims could not immediately be identified because their remains had been severely burnt.

DNA testing will therefore be required to establish their identities.

Police said the names of the victims would be released once they had been formally identified by their next of kin.

Families Await More Answers

There were also reports that the commuter omnibus may have been carrying more passengers than permitted. However, this had not been officially confirmed by police.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish the full sequence of events that led to one of Zimbabwe’s deadliest recent road crashes.