By Staff Reporter
A police investigation into the fatal capsizing of the Mbuya Nehanda ferry on Lake Kariba has uncovered serious weight violations, apparent breaches of safety procedures and suspected financial irregularities.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigators had uncovered major discrepancies between the vessel’s passenger manifest, reported fare collections and the number of people ultimately confirmed to have been aboard when the ferry capsized on August 11.
Homicide and fraud detectives are now examining a series of operational failures that allegedly preceded the disaster, including the boarding process, ticketing, fare collection and the decision to allow the vessel to sail despite evidence of severe overcrowding.
According to police, the official manifest submitted to the vessel’s master listed 120 passengers — 108 adults and 12 minors.
However, search and rescue operations indicated that significantly more people were aboard. Authorities recovered 97 bodies and rescued 77 survivors, putting the confirmed number of people involved in the disaster at 174.
Technical assessments also found that the ferry was carrying more than 30 tonnes above its authorised payload, with unweighed freight and bulk commercial goods contributing significantly to the excess weight.
Police are separately investigating allegations that some crew members collected fares from passengers who were not recorded on the official manifest.
Official financial records accounted for fares paid by only 120 passengers, despite evidence indicating that up to 175 people may have boarded the vessel.
Nyathi said investigators were tracing the unaccounted-for fare proceeds and examining whether financial incentives contributed to the decision to allow additional passengers onto the already overloaded ferry.
The death of the vessel’s captain in the disaster has complicated the investigation, as he would have been a key witness to the final pre-departure checks, passenger loading and fare collections.
However, police said the investigation remains ongoing, with detectives auditing financial records, interviewing surviving crew members and other witnesses, and reconstructing the events leading up to the voyage.
The investigation is expected to establish whether individual negligence, deliberate breaches of safety procedures, financial misconduct or a combination of factors contributed to the disaster.
Nyathi said police would pursue all leads and make their findings public once investigations are complete.
