Zimbabwe Ferry Disaster: Investigation Reveals Warnings Before Capsizing

There were warnings long before the boat tragedy in which 97 people died A month ago, on 11 August, the Mbuya Nehanda ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, killing at least 97 people. An investigation by news agency Pachena reveals that the boat should never have sailed that day. Engineers who service the vessel had repeatedly warned authorities that it needed structural work to improve stability. This was acknowledged by Lake Kariba Captain Adam Nyekete at a closed-door meeting with Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona on 16 August, five days after the disaster. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Lameck Chitenga, Nyekete's boss and Director of Inland Waters Control, was at the meeting and confirmed to Pachena on record that he found out about the engineers' letters during the meeting. Nyekete, he claims, had not informed him about them before. Yet some politicians and officials continue to blame the captain, Sign Patsikadova, who they say should never have gone out on the lake in rough weather. At a post-cabinet briefing on 18 August, two days after the engineers' warnings were disclosed in the meeting, Minister Daniel Garwe, who was not in the meeting, publicly blamed Patsikadova. He said the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry had cleared the vessel for service in June. Patsikadova died in the tragedy. Cabinet has announced a commission of inquiry into the disaster, which was Zimbabwe's deadliest transport disaster since the 1991 Nyanga bus crash, in which 89 people died. Boat operators have confirmed that Nyekete advised them to stay off the lake that day because of strong winds and other bad weather. But an investigation into the ferry disaster revealed that the vessel had longstanding problems which were known to officials, operators and regular passengers, and that it was severely overcrowded that day. The Mbuya Nehanda was operated by the state-owned Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) which reports directly to the Office of the President and Cabinet. It carried villagers, fishermen, traders, teachers and nurses from remote communities around Kariba. The water route is far cheaper and quicker than travelling by road. For example, the ferry crossing from Kariba to Mola takes six to seven hours and costs about US$15 compared to two days and US$30 by road. The government has said that the boat was allowed to carry 95 passengers, including crew. After the disaster, police initially stated that the ferry was carrying 90 passengers and five crew. But, after the rescue and salvage operation, police confirmed that 97 bodies had been recovered and 77 people rescued. While the exact number of passengers on board that day is unknown, there were at least 174, as well as cargo. On 22 July, the RIDA issued a notice on a WhatsApp group instructing passengers to provide their correct names when buying tickets so they could be traced in an emergency. But the Mbuya Nehanda's ticket list for its final voyage does not have details for the children onboard. These tickets were left blank. Engineers warned about stability KB Engineering, the firm that serviced the ferry, is a member of the Kariba Business and Tourism Indaba, an association of 141 tourism companies operating from Kariba to Binga and Kanyemba. Through the association, the engineers issued warning letters to the Lake Captain outlining work to improve the vessel's stability, including fitting two additional pontoons. News of these warnings emerged at the closed-door meeting on 16 August when the administrator of the Kariba Business and Tourism Indaba, Cephas Shonhiwa, explained that the ferry was not fit for purpose. Shonhiwa confirmed to Pachena that the engineers' warnings had been sent to the Lake Captain and RIDA several times. Contacted for comment, Nyekete said he was a junior civil servant and had been instructed to refer questions to his director. As Lake Captain, Nyekete is responsible for ensuring all