A football supporter died during an incident involving a police crowd-control vehicle at the National Sports Stadium on Monday evening as Zimbabwe began their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fatal incident occurred at about 6.30pm at Gate 2, where large numbers of supporters were still attempting to enter the stadium after the match had kicked off.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed that the incident involved one of its public-order vehicles and a pedestrian but said investigations were continuing to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the death. Police launch investigation into supporter’s death National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the supporter died during what police described as a stampede.
Commissioner-General of Police Stephen Mutamba offered his “profound condolences” to the supporter’s family and ordered an objective investigation into the tragedy. “The Zimbabwe Republic Police assures the public of objective and comprehensive investigations to find out exactly what transpired,” Nyathi said. Police said a more detailed statement would be issued once preliminary investigations had been completed.
Video footage reviewed by ZimLive reportedly shows a police riot-control truck equipped with a water cannon moving towards Gate 2 as supporters attempted to force their way into the stadium. One person appears to fall during the resulting crowd crush before being struck by the vehicle. The footage reportedly shows the water cannon being operated as the vehicle advances towards the crowded entrance.
The circumstances surrounding the driver’s actions, instructions given to officers and crowd-management arrangements at the gate will form part of the investigation. Police had not confirmed the exact sequence of events captured in the video or whether the vehicle directly caused the supporter’s death. The identity of the deceased had not been released by the time of publication.
The fatal incident overshadowed Zimbabwe’s first major international football match at the National Sports Stadium following extensive renovations. The venue had been barred from hosting international matches after failing to meet required standards, forcing the Warriors to play their home fixtures outside Zimbabwe. Approval for international football to return to the stadium had been welcomed by supporters, thousands of whom attended Monday’s 2027 AFCON Group E qualifier.
Zimbabwe lost the match 2–1 after goals from Junior Kadile and Samuel Moutoussamy gave DR Congo control of the contest. Marshall Munetsi scored for the Warriors in stoppage time, but his late effort was not enough to rescue a point. The tragedy is expected to renew scrutiny of crowd-control procedures, admission systems and the deployment of public-order vehicles at major sporting events.
Key points
- The Zimbabwe Republic Police has launched an investigation into the incident and assured the public of objective and comprehensive investigations.
- The incident occurred during a crowd crush at Gate 2 of the National Sports Stadium.
- The tragedy overshadowed Zimbabwe’s first major international football match at the National Sports Stadium following extensive renovations.
