Harare - Thousands of Zimbabweans packed a stadium on Tuesday for an emotional farewell to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, Susan, whose death in a car crash continues to be dogged by suspicion despite President Robert Mugabe calling it "the hand of God."

Over 10,000 supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) turned out at Glamis Stadium, where the coffin of his wife of 31 years, who was mourned in t-shirts and placards as a "heroine," "a rock," and "a mother," was displayed before her burial Wednesday.

The crowd gave the grieving MDC leader - who turned 57 on Tuesday - a hero's welcome when he arrived in the stadium, ululating when the ornate bronze coffin was placed before the rostrum with rose petals scattered around.

Susan, 50, died after an aid truck swerved and struck the car in which she and Tsvangirai were travelling to a party rally in their hometown of Buhera on Friday. Tsvangirai himself escaped with minor injuries to the head and neck.

On Tuesday, he said only of his wife, a devout Methodist: "Let's celebrate her existence as God's gift to me and to you."

At a church service in her honour before the rally Tuesday, Mugabe tried to dispel suspicion she had been the victim of a politically- motivated attempt on Tsvangirai's life, pleading with Zimbabweans "to accept it, it's the hand of God.

"Rest assured we are with you, honourable prime minister. Our hearts on this day and the days to follow, we are with you," Mugabe said, calling her death a "shock" and assuring he was trying to root out political violence.

Tsvangirai's son, Edwin, was cheered in the stadium later when he thanked the president for "words that changed our understanding of him."

But many MDC supporters are still suspicious about the manner of her death, which follows on a string of mysterious car crashes involving politicians in Zimbabwe in recent years and a number of political attacks on Tsvangirai himself, including an attempt to throw him out of a high-rise building.

The truck that was carrying British and US-sponsored aid missed other vehicles in Tsvangirai's convoy in side-swiping the opposition leader's 4x4 on a straight road, causing it to roll three times.

A court on Monday granted the driver, who faces charges of culpable homicide, bail of 100 Zimbabwe dollars, a fraction of a US dollar.

The suspicion is directed less at Mugabe than hardline members of his Zanu-PF party, who are suspected of trying to scupper the country's power-sharing government.

"Zimbabwe's history is littered with politically motivated accidents," student leader Jonah Bere remarked at the rally calling for an "independent and impartial inquiry", a day after Tsvangirai himself ruled out foul play.

Susan's death, less than a month after Tsvangirai became prime minister, has stoked huge sympathy for the politician, who relied for support on his wife throughout the 10 years of intimidation and violence he suffered in opposition.

"She deserves to be mourned by the whole nation," said Miriam Garwe, 43, who came to Harare from the town of Mutoko, about 200 kilometres east of Harare. "She was looking after our (MDC) president. It is unfortunate that she died before Mr Tsvangirai is the (state) president."

Mugabe declared Tuesday that her funeral in the mining town of Buhera, south-west of Harare will be state-assisted, meaning the government will foot most of the cost. (dpa)