Some members of the Johanne Marange apostolic sect, among them women and children, were forced to sleep by the roadside along the Masvingo-Mashava highway on Saturday night after they failed to get transport to travel to their homes.
They were among 5 000 worshippers who had been removed from Maparanyanga where they had been holding Passover by the Manicaland provincial Covid-19 taskforce.
On Tuesday last week, the Cabinet resolved that the church gathering should disperse as it was in violation of COVID-19 lockdown regulations which limits the size of crowds to only 50 people.
Taskforce spokesperson Rodgers Irimai on Saturday said the sect has been cooperative with authorities and has since broken camp. He said:
We had fruitful discussions with the sect leaders on Saturday morning and members immediately started dispersing after we told them that a gathering of more than 50 was unlawful.
They were very cooperative although they wanted to be allowed to have their Holy Communion, which is cause was not possible.
The taskforce expected all the sect members to have returned to their homes by today, the day when the majority had pre-booked transport back home.