Spiritual cleansing sought after deadly Chitungwiza road accident

A wave of fatal accidents on the Harare-Chitungwiza highway has prompted a rare spiritual alliance, as religious and traditional leaders unite in calling for a cleansing ceremony to end what many believe is a "spirit of death" haunting the route.

The urgent calls follow last week's horrific crash at Manyame Bridge, which claimed 17 lives and sent shockwaves through the nation.

On Tuesday morning, congregants from a wide range of Christian denominations converged at the crash site for a solemn interdenominational prayer session. Kneeling and singing hymns, they offered fervent prayers aimed at spiritually cleansing the highway and interceding for divine intervention.

"It is the devil's work to steal, kill, and destroy," said one traditional leader. "So the purpose of prayer is to cleanse the road to stop the spirit of death — not just on this road, but all roads in Zimbabwe."

Community members echoed the sentiment, with many describing the daily commute as terrifying.

"There's too much blood being spilled on Seke Road. We are living in constant fear. All religious sects must unite and seek the face of God," one resident pleaded.

A devout worshipper added, "We believe there is power in prayer. We are humbly asking the Almighty God to intervene on this highway."

Another Christian quoted Scripture, saying, "At some point, Jesus calmed the storm. We believe, as children of God, if we unite, we can stop the deaths."

Bishop Jonathan Masamba of the Christian Faith Church said the repeated tragedies signaled the need for more than physical safety measures. "We cannot ignore the spiritual implications. We are here to pray, but also to awaken the nation to the power of faith in combating unseen forces behind these calamities."

Traditional leaders have backed the religious efforts, with Chief Seke confirming that a formal traditional cleansing ceremony is being prepared.

"We are grieving as the Seke community," Chief Seke said. "As traditional leaders, we have rituals that we perform to curb the spilling of blood on our roads. A cleansing ceremony is on the cards after we consult the elders."

National Chairperson of Masvikiro Enyika4ED, Sekuru Morrison Mafuta, warned that the spirits of the deceased could still be lingering at the scene.

"This calls for a traditional ceremony to appease and help them rest. Otherwise, more accidents may follow. We urge all spirit mediums to join hands in performing this urgent ritual," he said.

Meanwhile, tragedy struck again along the same highway this morning.

A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter travelling from Chitungwiza to Harare burst a front tyre and veered off the road near Chinhamo Bridge — just kilometres from last week's deadly crash site.

"The Sprinter was in the inner lane when the front tyre on the driver's side burst. The vehicle flew nearly a metre before landing in the bush," an eyewitness told The Sunday Mail.

Several passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

As the country grapples with rising road carnage, communities are now turning to cultural and spiritual interventions, believing the solution may lie not just in engineering — but in the unseen.