Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa in Kariba
A SOMBRE atmosphere hung over Kariba yesterday as grieving families gathered to mourn loved ones lost in the Lake Kariba ferry disaster, while Government pledged a broad recovery package aimed at helping affected households rebuild their lives and restoring transport links critical to the local economy.
The tragedy, whose death toll has risen to 46, has left a trail of devastation, with some families losing as many as 11 relatives.
Beyond the loss of life, the disaster has disrupted the livelihoods of traders and communities who depend on the lake for transport and movement of goods.
Speaking at a memorial service on behalf of President Mnangagwa and the First Family, Local Government and
Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said Government would provide assistance to affected families and ensure that transport services were restored.
In a move aimed at cushioning communities from the economic impact of the tragedy, Minister Garwe said President
Mnangagwa had directed that another boat be secured to restore water transport services.
“The President has said that in line with the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, another boat will be secured to ensure that business continues as usual and communities retain their livelihoods,” said Minister Garwe.
He said President Mnangagwa had directed Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona to mobilise resources for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Karoi-Binga Road to improve access to Chalala, Mola, Siakobvu and surrounding areas that rely heavily on the lake for transport.
“The President said RIDA, the Ministry of Transport and his Government would work to ensure that the road network to Chalala and water transportation was fixed,” Minister Garwe said. He added that investigations into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy were underway, with a comprehensive report expected to be presented to Cabinet on Tuesday.
Minister Garwe said Government remained committed to standing with the Kariba community throughout the recovery process.
As chairperson of the Civil Protection Unit, he said search and retrieval operations would continue until every person who had been on board the vessel was accounted for and their bodies retrieved for a decent burial.
Minister Garwe said Government would also assist vendors and business operators who lost goods and sources of income in the tragedy, which has since been declared a State of Disaster. “It is not only the families of the bereaved who lost relatives, but the nation,” he said, adding that Government would help ease the burden borne by affected families.
He commended members of the Zimbabwe National Army Boat Squadron, the Zimbabwe Republic Police Sub-Aqua Unit, freelance divers, business operators and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) for their dedication during the search and rescue operation.
One of the divers involved in the recovery mission, Mr Wonder Mujokeri, said luggage trapped inside the vessel was
making it difficult to access some compartments and appealed for assistance to turn the boat upright.
“We have worked well today (yesterday) with the teams from the ZNA Boat Squadron and ZRP Sub-Aqua Unit, resulting in the recovery of two male bodies in one of the compartments,” said Mr Mujokeri. “Work will continue tomorrow morning (today), where we expect to cover the remaining 20 percent of the boat. We have so far covered about 80 percent.”
Experts involved in the search said additional bodies may surface as time progresses, necessitating continued aerial and surface searches to facilitate recovery.
Traditional leaders, including Chiefs Msampakaruma, Nyamhunga and Chief Ngezi, who chairs the Mashonaland West Chiefs’ Council, called for traditional rites to be conducted, saying the spiritual dimension of the tragedy should not be overlooked.
Local Government Services director Mrs Cecilia Chitiyo said arrangements had been put in place to allow families to collect the bodies of their loved ones for burial, with some already indicating readiness to take them to their rural homes. Minister Garwe said a full-scale investigation would be conducted into the circumstances surrounding the disaster, which wiped out entire families in some instances.
Survivors have recounted heartbreaking stories of households losing several family members. Mr Given Siakanoka, who lost his sister and her two children, said the tragedy was too bitter to swallow. He said some relatives were still missing.
