Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa and Freeman Razemba in KARIBA
AS the search for more bodies on Lake Kariba continues, the exact number of passengers on the ferry that capsized last Tuesday remains a mystery as current figures point towards double the carrying capacity.
The death toll in the Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 84 after four more bodies were recovered near Long Island late yesterday afternoon.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the recovery of four more bodies.
“The ZRP reports that the death toll is now 84 after the recovery of four bodies from the lake this afternoon,” said Comm Nyathi.
“The Police confirm that search efforts are still under way in a bid to recover victims identified as missing.”
Search and recovery efforts are expected to continue again this morning.
The 84 bodies recovered as at end of day yesterday are just six short of the ferry’s official capacity of 90 passengers.
Given that 77 were rescued on Tuesday, this takes the number of passengers accounted for to 161 and fast approaching double the official capacity.
Preliminary indications are that the ferry was still in good condition and, thus, its state is not a cause of the disaster.
Meanwhile, the Government has intensified investigations to ascertain the causes surrounding the incident in which 84 bodies have so far been recovered from Lake Kariba after a passenger vessel capsized last Tuesday, with a technical report on the accident set to be presented to Cabinet this week.
Yesterday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Advocate Felix Mhona this Sunday met with Lake Kariba boat and ferry operators and visited the scene of the accident.
He was accompanied by Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo and senior government officials.
So far preliminary investigations began pointing to a navigational error, possible overloading and failure to heed adverse weather warnings as factors that may have contributed to the tragedy.
The passenger ferry is owned by the Rural Infrastructure Development Authority (RIDA) capsized near Long Island on Lake Kariba.
Boat operators in Kariba, who were part of the engagement with the ministers, Cephas Shonhiwa and Nesbit Mapfumo are also helping the government in mobilizing resources to ensure that search and recovering operations continues.
The vessel, formerly under the Department of District Development Fund and now run by RIDA, was caught by strong winds locally known as the Binga Wave during the leg from Kariba town to Chalala Fishing Camp, taking on water through the cabin as the crew battled to keep it afloat.
Video footage taken when it moved off on this leg of its voyage shows the boat already labouring in choppy waters moments before it went under, passengers watching helplessly as the water rose around them.
Mariners had been cautioned to watch for localised choppy conditions as the afternoon winds speeded up over exposed sections of the lake, precisely the conditions in which the ferry capsized.
Preliminary findings suggest that the vessel’s physical condition may not have been the cause of the accident.
Inland Waters Control director in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development Mr Lameck Chitenga said an assessment of the vessel showed that its hull remained intact.
Mathew Masinge
Heads in the Ministry of Transport and all the relevant departments should roll after investigation. This disaster was preventable. The minister of transport should desist from this praise singing of the president. We are faced with a disaster of unparalleled proportions here and he is busy casting unnecessary praises to the president? I think the president MUST put a stop to this nonsense. We all know how astute his leadership is. We don’t need to be reminded about it at every turn. People must grow up!! Let’s work on finding out what went wrong. We still have hundreds of boats on the Kariba waters right now. We have no time to curry favours from authorities. Cde Minister, when last were you on Lake Kariba before this tragedy to familiarise yourself with what goes on there?
84 bodies and 77 rescued means 161 people accounted for—nearly twice the vessel’s stated capacity. Yet instead of confronting how such a catastrophic failure happened, the Transport Ministry appears more interested in praising President Emmerson Mnangagwa as though he were beyond criticism. ZANU-PF leadership must stop turning governance into personality worship. Minister Felix Mhona owes Zimbabweans answers, not praise-singing. Mnangagwa is a president, not a god; ministers are public servants, not a praise choir. Investigate the capacity controls, warnings, navigation, oversight and accountability. Families need truth, justice and prevention—not political theatre while bodies are still being recovered.
84 bodies demand accountability, not praise-singing. Minister Mhona should stop treating Mnangagwa like a deity and start treating Zimbabweans like citizens whose lives matter. ZANU-PF must end this sick culture where ministers compete to worship political leadership while basic oversight fails. If Mnangagwa’s leadership is truly “astute,” let it be demonstrated through ruthless accountability, not endless sycophancy. Minister, Zimbabwe needs answers: who failed to enforce safety, who ignored warnings, who allowed capacity questions to arise, and who will be held responsible? Spare us the political theatre. People are dead, families are shattered, and Lake Kariba still carries unanswered questions. This is the time for truth, responsibility and action—not crawling before power.