A woman who dived into the treacherous waters of Lake Kariba to save fellow passengers from the capsized Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) Mbuya Nehanda ferry has received a US$4,000 cash reward from First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Taurai Chalibamba, from Mola in Kariba Rural, travelled to Chinhoyi on Wednesday to collect the cash gift in recognition of her bravery.
Chalibamba said she repeatedly swam towards passengers who were crying for help after the Mbuya Nehanda ferry capsized on 11 August.
She said chaos and panic gripped passengers as the ferry overturned without warning, but she set aside her own safety to focus on those fighting to stay alive.
Amid the confusion, she battled the water to reach those calling for help, risking her life to pull seven people to safety.
“I was moved by the lifeless bodies of many passengers, men, women and children that I was seeing. I was also looking at myself in disbelief, wondering how I had managed to survive such a horrific accident,” she said.
“To me, this was a sign that I had to save the other passengers who were calling for help, among them my 21-year-old child.
“I am an average swimmer. I don’t know where I gathered the power and courage to swim and save these other passengers.
“I could hear people calling for help, and I knew I had to do something. I kept swimming towards those who were struggling and tried to help them get to safety.”
Chalibamba was among the 77 people who survived the ferry disaster, which has so far claimed at least 97 lives.
The cash gift from Mnangagwa was handed to Chalibamba on Wednesday by the Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Marian Chombo.
“The Mother of the Nation was moved when she heard that we have people who are selfless like Taurai. She has given a gift of cash as a token of appreciation for the selflessness and love she showed,” said Chombo.
“Initially, she wanted to hand over the money herself to Taurai when she visited Kariba on Tuesday, but she wasn’t there.
“Dr Mnangagwa then instructed me to contact Taurai and that she should come and collect her reward.
“She was deeply moved by how Taurai managed to help her fellow passengers to survive without thinking about the fact that she herself and her children were also in danger of drowning and dying.”
Chalibamba’s husband, Tinei Veremu, 46, thanked Mnangagwa for recognising his wife’s bravery, saying the family had lost all its savings in the disaster.
“We lost all our savings in the water when the accident happened, so this gesture has come at a time when we really need support.”
Chalibamba had travelled from Harare, where she had gone to sell fish — a business she has run for years using the same ferry that claimed scores of lives.
Veremu, however, remains critical about what led to the tragedy. He blamed the captain, Sign Patsikadova, saying he ignored warnings from the Meteorological Services Department about the weather.
More: The Herald
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