The Zimbabwean government has allocated nearly US$197,000 to cover the medical and repatriation costs for its citizens who were victims of the tragic Limpopo bus accident. This incident, which occurred on October 13, 2025, saw a DNC bus veer off the N1 North near Louis Trichardt, South Africa, while transporting Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals back home. Initially, 43 passengers were killed and 40 injured, with one additional person succumbing to injuries in the hospital, bringing the final death toll to 44. Among the deceased were 36 Zimbabweans, while 13 more remain hospitalized in South Africa, three of whom are in critical condition.

Preliminary investigations into the accident have revealed severe brake failure and gross overloading as the primary causes. The bus, designed for a 62-seater capacity, was reportedly carrying 91 passengers at the time of the crash. Following the tragedy, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the bus accident a national disaster, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the national response required.

Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Benjamin Kabikira, presented a ministerial statement in the National Assembly, outlining the government's detailed plan for managing the disaster. He confirmed that the positive identification of all deceased individuals was completed on October 20, 2025, with assistance from the ZRP forensic team, including fingerprint screening and verification. For cases involving deceased children, DNA samples were collected from both the children and their next of kin to ensure accurate identification.

Kabikira further detailed that all necessary documentation, including death certificates and burial orders, are currently being processed to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies. The repatriation to Zimbabwe is anticipated to commence in batches from Friday, October 24, 2025, pending the completion of all formal procedures. A mass memorial service is planned to be held in Beitbridge upon the arrival of the bodies in Zimbabwe.

To support the victims' families, a bus was dispatched by the National Disaster Management Centre from Harare to Beitbridge, transporting next of kin to South Africa for identification purposes. Zimbabwean nationals, who were next of kin without valid passports, were granted temporary passage into South Africa specifically for identifying the deceased. A list of names for the next of kin and national IDs was submitted to South African Immigration in advance to streamline border processing. Post-mortem examinations were completed on Friday, October 17, 2025, and physical identification concluded by October 20 at Siloam Hospital. Additionally, the Department of Civil Protection requested a waiver of border charges from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and Zim Borders for the hearses and buses transporting the bodies and bereaved families. The total anticipated budget for the coordination and intervention of this disaster stands at US$197,940 or ZWG5,340,930.3.