The Samanyanga family has laid to rest Memory Chaka and her 11-month-old son, Lyell Samanyanga, who died in the Lake Kariba boat tragedy, while the search for two other family members continues.
Memory, the wife of Correctional Officer Grade One Samanyanga Brave, who is stationed at Hurungwe Prison Farm, and baby Lyell were among passengers aboard a boat that capsized on Lake Kariba on August 11, 2026.
Their bodies were recovered from the lake, enabling the family to bury them as search and rescue teams continue efforts to locate two missing children.
The missing children are the eight-year-old son of Correctional Officer Grade One Samanyanga and his 13-year-old nephew. Another family member survived the tragedy after being rescued.
The funeral was attended by relatives, friends and colleagues, with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Mashonaland West Province represented by Provincial Chaplain Superintendent Nanziwe Mtasa, Provincial Welfare Officer Principal Correctional Officer Titus Madhlagwai, as well as officers from Hurungwe Prison Farm and Kariba Prison.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Karonga Samanyanga described the deaths as a devastating loss.
“This is a painful loss to the family. We have lost an asset,” said Karonga.
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations remain underway as authorities and relatives continue efforts to establish the whereabouts of the two missing children.
