Police list six children in Chipinge fire but say DNA must confirm who died

The fire occurred at about 2am on 8 November at a homestead in Bamhamire Village, under Chief Mutema, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police update.

The children named in the statement were aged between six and 16. Police described them as having been reportedly inside the house when the fire broke out, rather than identifying them as confirmed victims.

The six children listed

Police listed Linece Pferedzai, 14; Lisa Pferedzai, 10; Nyasha Sithole, 16; Princess Mutisi, six; Sarudzai Njayinjayi, 16; and Velarida Mandongwe, seven.

All six were recorded as residents of Bamhamire Village in Chipinge. Two were aged 16, while the youngest, Princess Mutisi, was six.

The update follows an earlier announcement on the police’s official X account reporting that six girls had died in the fire. It provides names and ages of the children believed to have been present, while leaving formal identification dependent on the DNA results.

Commissioner P. Nyathi signed the statement as the police’s chief staff officer for press and public relations.

DNA results to guide burial arrangements

Police said the DNA results would conclusively establish the identities of the six victims and facilitate the necessary arrangements for their burial.

The statement does not give a completion date for the testing or announce funeral arrangements. Its wording means the list of children reportedly in the house should not yet be treated as confirmation that each has been identified among the dead.

The cause of the fire is not established in the update. It provides the location and approximate time of the incident, but does not explain how the blaze began.

Police said more details would be released in due course.