Antony Chawagarira
KARIBA — The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has deployed its Monitoring and Inspections Department to Kariba to assess the human rights situation following the capsizing of the Mbuya Nehanda Ferry on Lake Kariba.
The monitoring team, led by ZHRC Commissioner Advocate Dzikamai Madzivire, is assessing the response to the disaster as search and recovery operations continue.
The death toll has risen to 95 confirmed deaths, with authorities and recovery teams continuing efforts to retrieve bodies from the lake.
As part of its assessment, the ZHRC team visited Andora Harbour, where First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa delivered a message of condolences to families who lost relatives in the tragedy and survivors of the disaster.
The team also witnessed the recovery of some bodies retrieved from Lake Kariba by the recovery teams.
The Commission said its monitoring exercise was focused on documenting the response by both State and non-State actors and assessing compliance with their human rights obligations.
Particular attention is being paid to the protection of the right to life, respect for human dignity, access to healthcare and access to information for affected families, survivors and communities.
The Commission’s intervention comes as authorities continue coordinating search, recovery and support operations following one of the country’s worst recent maritime disasters.
The ZHRC’s Monitoring and Inspections mandate is derived from Section 243 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which empowers the Commission to assess the observance of human rights and recommend measures to relevant State authorities where improvements are required.
The Commission’s presence in Kariba is therefore expected to provide an independent human rights assessment of the disaster response while highlighting areas requiring corrective action to safeguard the rights and welfare of affected people.
