Stampede kills twelve people in Harare

Police fired tear gas at unruly fans during a World Cup qualifying soccer game between Zimbabwe and South Africa, setting off a stampede that killed twelve people. Among those killed in the stampede were four children, the youngest age five. The stadium was filled to capacity with spectators. At the beginning of the match some people in the stadium chanted Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) slogans and flashed MDC signs. Towards the end of the match some spectators started to throw cans and mostly plastic bottles onto the pitch after the South Africans had scored their second goal. The police responded by firing into the crowded stands a large number of tear gas canisters. Panic ensued and people tried to run towards the exits to get away from the noxious fumes. On 19 July 2000, the commission, which was set-up to investigate the cause of the stampede, laid the blame entirely on the police's handling of events. However, it was also mentioned although not conclusively, that MDC had a hand in the stampede, something the movement denied later. Other theories included the view that the match was used by the opposition to show Robert Mugabe that he was no longer needed, hence 400 police were so angered by the opposition slogans that they overreacted.