Johannesburg/Harare - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was due to return home from Botswana on Monday to prepare for the burial later this week of his wife, Susan, who was killed in a car crash at the weekend, in which he was slightly injured.

Tsvangirai has been in Botswana since Saturday to recuperate from the devastating collision Friday between his vehicle and an aid truck that killed his wife of 31 years, amid speculation in some quarters of foul play.

His scheduled return was confirmed by officials from his Movement for Democratic Change. Susan's remains were due to be taken to their Harare home to lie in state on Monday.

On Tuesday, the body will be taken for viewing in a football stadium in Harare before her burial Wednesday in the couple's hometown of Buhera, where they were headed Friday when the truck struck their car, causing it to roll several times.

The truck, which was carrying aid for HIV patients sponsored by the British and US governments, swerved and side-swiped the car.

The driver of the truck was arrested at the weekend and was due to appear in court Monday on charges of culpable homicide.

Despite suspicion among many MDC supporters that Tsvangirai may have been deliberately targeted by hardline allies of President Robert Mugabe, the MDC has said that the available facts point to an accident.

The party also said however it was too soon to draw conclusions and is carrying out its own investigation into the affair.

The British government says it believed the crash was a genuine accident.

Mugabe himself has called the crash, which comes less than four weeks after Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister of a unity government between his Zanu-PF and the MDC, "a tragedy."

Tsvangirai has been driving attempts to kickstart Zimbabwe's economic turnaround, including soliciting foreign aid from Western donors who refuse to deal with Mugabe.

A team of experts from the International Monetary Fund was due to arrive in Zimbabwe on Monday to begin assessing the country's needs in the light of the requests for aid. (dpa)