Former Mt Pleasant MP Fadzayi Mahere has slammed Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe for attempting to shift blame to the captain of the Mbuya Nehanda ferry, saying the accident that claimed 94 lives on Lake Kariba on 11 August was caused by the Government’s broken systems.
Mahere said she was disgusted by Garwe’s attempt to blame the now-deceased captain, Sign Patsikadova, for the Lake Kariba disaster.
“I am disgusted by Minister Garwe’s attempt to shift blame to the Captain of the Kariba Ferry. The Captain did not cause that accident. The Govt’s broken systems did,” Mahere said.
Garwe told a post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday that Patsikadova had disregarded advice from the Meteorological Services Department not to sail due to strong waves on the Binga side, and that the 90-seater ferry was overloaded with over 180 people.
Mahere said overloading was a symptom of desperation, not recklessness.
“No community overloads a public ferry for fun. It’s a mark of desperation because there’s no other mode of transportation available. Why are there not multiple public ferries plying this route? Why is the road network dilapidated or non-existent? Why has no bridge been built?” she asked.
She questioned the safety protocols governing the ferry operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA).
“What safety protocols govern the ferry? Why were there inadequate lifejackets on the boat? What measures exist to keep children safe? Why are the crew not trained to deal with emergencies in the water? Why are there zero lifeguards? Why did it take emergency services hours to reach the scene? Why have rescue operations taken so long? Why was there such an over-reliance on volunteers? Why had the boat not been replaced with newer boats?” Mahere said.
Mahere also challenged Garwe’s claim that the vessel was certified fit.
“How can he say the ferry was ‘fit’? When was it last serviced? Has he seen the pictures of it?” she said.
She further questioned what transport the affected communities in Binga and Kariba are expected to use now, and criticised Government’s response to victims.
“What transport is the community meant to be using as we speak? Why are there no social welfare nets to assist the victims? Why is the government help so arbitrary and inadequate? Where is there no psychosocial help being given to the affected communities? Why were the police and the permanent secretary of information happy to dish out inaccurate figures about the scale of the disaster, thus misleading the public about the extent of the disaster?” she said.
Mahere said oversight and accountability were missing.
“Who supervises the crew? Why did they not exercise oversight to avoid the calamity? Why is the Govt not disclosing that the ferry was in fact a donation from the Belgian Govt in the 80s? But for this donation, how would the community have survived? When will new ferries be procured? Why has no period of mourning been announced? Why is the Minister making conclusions before a full investigation or independent inquiry has been conducted? Why haven’t the head of RIDA and the Minister of Transport resigned? Why has the Govt not issued a public apology for causing over 94 deaths? Who is taking responsibility or being held accountable? It’s a mess.”
She added: “Make no mistake. This accident demonstrates beyond any doubt that the Govt has failed not just the people of Kariba but the entire nation. A nation rises or falls on the strength of its systems. Zimbabwe has none. Everything is on autopilot.”
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