Three people, including a driver, died and five others were seriously injured when a van and a haulage truck collided on the Harare–Bulawayo Road near Kadoma on Saturday afternoon, the Zimbabwe Republic Police have said.

What we know

The crash happened at around 15:00 (Zimbabwe time) on Saturday, 17 October, at the 128-kilometre peg on the Harare–Bulawayo Road near Kadoma.

In a statement carried by Pindula News, police said: “The accident occurred when a Nissan AD van carrying seven passengers and travelling towards Harare sideswiped with a Scania truck which was travelling in the opposite direction.”

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “Three occupants of the Nissan AD van, including the driver, died on the spot, while five others sustained serious injuries,” 263Chat reports.

The bodies were taken to the Kadoma General Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations, and the injured were admitted to the same hospital, according to the police statement.

263Chat, Pindula News and The Insight 263 all carry the police account.

Background: a dangerous stretch of road

The Herald reports that the crash has raised fresh concern about road safety on the stretch of the Harare–Bulawayo Road between Chegutu and Kadoma. It says the collision came barely two weeks after two school heads from Chinhoyi died in a head-on crash near the same area.

It is not the first fatal crash on the highway this year. On 25 May, six people died when a Honda Fit and a haulage truck collided at the 223-kilometre peg near the Redcliff turn-off, according to police statements carried by Bulawayo24 and My Zimbabwe News. That crash happened at around 5.45pm on Africa Day, both outlets report, and Bulawayo24 says police again urged motorists to take care on major highways. On 29 July, six people died and six were injured when a kombi carrying 11 passengers left the road and plunged into a water-filled gully at the Tynwald flyover on the Harare end of the road, Pindula News reported, quoting police.

Police have not linked any of these crashes to a common cause.

What we don't know yet

What caused the collision. Police have described how the vehicles collided but have not given a cause, and 263Chat reports that details about the cause were not immediately available.

The names of the people who died. Police have not released them.

The condition of the five people in hospital.

Whether anyone in the Scania truck was hurt. The police statement does not say.

Sources: 263Chat, 18 Oct 2026: https://www.263chat.com/three-killed-five-seriously-injured-in-harare-bulawayo-road-crash/ · Pindula News, 18 Oct 2026: https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/10/18/three-dead-as-van-sideswipes-truck-on-harare-bulawayo-road/ · The Insight 263, 18 Oct 2026: https://theinsight263.com/three-killed-five-injured-in-harare-bulawayo-road-accident/ · The Herald: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/fresh-concern-over-harare-bulawayo-road-safety-after-another-accident-claims-three/ · Bulawayo24, 27 May 2026: https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-265038.html · My Zimbabwe News: https://www.myzimbabwe.co.zw/news/187759-6-people-killed-in-another-honda-fit-and-haulage-truck-accident-along-harare-bulawayo-highway.html · Pindula News, 30 Jul 2026: https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/07/30/six-dead-as-kombi-plunges-into-gully-at-tynwald-flyover/