Preliminary investigations have established that navigational error, overloading and failure to heed adverse weather warnings may have contributed to the disaster.
As of Sunday afternoon, 84 bodies had been recovered from Lake Kariba after the vessel capsized on 11 August 2024.
Rescue efforts are continuing, with teams from the Zimbabwe National Army Boat Squadron and the ZRP Sub-aqua Unit still searching for more victims in the lake.
The vessel, owned by the Rural Infrastructure Development Authority (RIDA), was on a voyage from Kariba town to Chalala Fishing Camp when it was caught in strong winds locally known as the “Binga Wave” near Long Island.
Inland Waters Control Director Lameck Chitenga said an initial assessment of the boat showed its hull remained intact at the time of the incident.
Video footage taken shortly after departure shows the boat already labouring in choppy waters, with passengers watching helplessly as water rose around them.
Although the localised weather bulletin for the lake had largely predicted calm conditions with light breezes, it had explicitly cautioned mariners to watch for localised choppy conditions in the afternoon.
The bulletin flagged a strengthening South Indian Ocean anticyclone, which was expected to bring light-to-moderate north-easterly to south-easterly winds, occasionally reaching Force 3 over exposed sections of the lake.
On Sunday, 16 August, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona, accompanied by Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo and other senior officials, visited the scene of the accident.
The ministers also held an urgent meeting with Lake Kariba boat and ferry operators to assess the immediate response and chart mitigatory measures.
Mhona confirmed that Government is legally mandated to investigate such incidents under the Inland Waters Shipping Act [Chapter 13:06].
A full technical report is set to be tabled before Cabinet on Tuesday, 18 August. Mhona said once the report is submitted, the government will be guided by the President on the next steps, including potential regulatory reforms to prevent future disasters on Zimbabwe’s inland waters.