Large portraits of Susan Tsvangirai hung around the stadium as mourners poured in, following a smaller, three-hour church service attended by President Robert Mugabe and other leading Zimbabwean officials.

Mugabe told the church service that the crash that killed Susan Tsvangirai and injured the prime minister was an act of God.

"It will take him time to recover from this shock. I plead with you to accept it, it's the hand of God," Mugabe told the hundreds of mourners who gathered at a Methodist church in Harare.

"Rest assured we are with you, honourable prime minister. Our hearts on this day and the days to follow, we are with you," he added.

The crash and Susan Tsvangirai's death have overshadowed the new unity government's work to rebuild an economy devastated by world-record hyperinflation with more than half the population dependent on foreign food aid for survival.

A US-British aid truck carrying AIDS drugs slammed into the Tsvangirais' 4x4 on Friday on a pot-holed highway outside Harare.

She died instantly and Tsvangirai suffered minor injuries. He was briefly hospitalised in Harare and flew over the weekend for further medical checks in Botswana, but quickly returned home to prepare the funeral.

Tsvangirai has sought to dispel fears the accident could have been linked to a long history of deadly political trickery in Zimbabwe, ruling out any foul play in her death.

"It was an accident and unfortunately it took her life," he told mourners gathered at his home Monday.

"I want to thank God for giving me 31 years with my wife," he said. "Life will go on, and I am certain she would have liked life to go on."

Her burial is set for Wednesday morning in their hometown Buhera, his party said.

Susan Tsvangirai, 50, generally avoided the political spotlight but founded a charity to teach women about AIDS, which has expanded to provide other health and social services in a nation where health care has collapsed.

Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is conducting its own investigation into the crash, but has not alleged foul play.

Doubts about the incident eased after Washington and London said the truck was owned by a joint US-British aid project that delivers HIV/AIDS drugs.

London has denied that the driver fell asleep at the wheel or had been drinking and said the crash was a "genuine accident."

There remain huge pressing concerns challenging the new government.

One of Tsvangirai's top aides, Roy Bennett, was arrested on terror charges on February 13 as the cabinet was being sworn in. A judge has granted him bail, but he remains in prison as prosecutors wage a series of appeals.

The Supreme Court heard arguments over his bail as the church service was getting underway, but no date for a decision has been set.

The International Monetary Fund has also dispatched a team to Zimbabwe, the first since December 2006, when the southern African country only narrowly avoided expulsion from the organisation.

But the global lender has indicated that it could be willing to work with the new government, and Tsvangirai has said that restoring ties with the IMF is a priority for his government.

Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma said in the state-run Herald newspaper that his talks with the IMF, which began its mission in the country on Monday, have been "positive."

He added: "They have told us that they are willing to immediately assist us."