Death Toll In Kariba Ferry Disaster Rises To 46, ZLHR Demands Independent Probe

By Desire Tshuma

Harare – The death toll in the Lake Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 46, with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) calling for a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into what it termed an “avoidable” tragedy.

According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, 46 people are now confirmed dead and 67 survivors were rescued by 12 August. Search and recovery operations remain ongoing. The State-owned ferry, Mbuya Nehanda, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, capsized on 11 August while travelling from Kariba to Chalala.

In a press statement issued Friday 14 August 2026, ZLHR extended condolences to the bereaved and praised local communities and rescuers. But it said the rising casualties exposed serious gaps in maritime safety, regulatory compliance, and emergency preparedness.

“This tragedy is all the more distressing because it was avoidable,” ZLHR said.

The rights group cited Sections 48 and 44 of the Constitution on the right to life and the State’s duty to protect it, arguing that authorities must move beyond condolences. ZLHR is calling for a probe to establish the cause of the capsizing, whether the vessel was properly licensed and inspected, if passenger capacity limits were observed, and whether regulators or public officials failed in their duties.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the disaster a national disaster and acknowledged “serious deficiencies” in maritime safety. ZLHR said that admission must now “translate into action, not rhetoric.”

The organisation also demanded that investigation findings be made public and that anyone found responsible for negligence or regulatory failure face accountability. It warned against reducing the loss of life to a statistic and called for urgent reforms to strengthen oversight and enforcement.

ZLHR added that accountability must extend beyond the ferry operator to any public institutions that failed in their duties. Families and survivors, it said, deserve timely information, justice and dignified support.