By Antony Chawagarira
HARARE — One person died in a stampede at the National Sports Stadium on Monday evening as thousands of football fans gathered for Zimbabwe’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The incident occurred at Gate Two at about 6:30pm, shortly after the Warriors’ match against the DRC had kicked off.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said the fatal incident involved a police public order vehicle and a pedestrian.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigations were underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms that swift and comprehensive investigations are currently underway after a fatal incident involving a police public order vehicle and a pedestrian at the National Sports Stadium, where one person died during a stampede at Gate Number Two at 1830 hours at the beginning of the soccer match between Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Comm Nyathi said.
He said the police would conduct objective and comprehensive investigations to establish exactly what transpired.
Commissioner-General of Police Stephen Mutamba expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, while police said a detailed statement would be issued once investigations had progressed.
The identity of the victim had not been released by police by Monday night, pending notification of the next of kin.
The incident occurred as the National Sports Stadium recorded a large turnout for the Warriors’ return to the venue for an AFCON qualifier, with supporters arriving from early afternoon and long queues reportedly forming at the entry points.
The tragedy cast a shadow over the match, which Zimbabwe lost 2-1 to the DRC in their Group E qualifying encounter.
Monday’s incident also revived memories of a similar tragedy at the stadium in 2019, when a woman, Egna Nyamadzawo, died in a stampede ahead of Zimbabwe’s AFCON qualifier against Congo-Brazzaville.
Two other people were injured in that incident.
The 2019 match went ahead, with Zimbabwe winning 2-0 to secure qualification for the AFCON finals held in Egypt.
