By Fortunate Gunde
KARIBA – The Kariba District Development Coordinator’s office has requested a two-day suspension of commercial, passenger, and recreational marine activities on Lake Kariba to allow Chief Mola and other traditional leaders to conduct a cleansing ceremony following the August Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster.
District Development Coordinator Rodwell Mtetwa wrote to the Department of Inland Waters requesting a suspension from October 4 to 5, 2026.
“The Office of the District Development Coordinator is requesting a temporary halt to all commercial, passenger and recreational marine activities on Lake Kariba from 4 October to 5 October 2026,” Mtetwa said.
He said the suspension would allow traditional leaders to conduct a sacred ceremony intended to honour those who died in the Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster and to seek calm waters for future navigation.
The request comes less than two months after the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency-operated ferry capsized near Long Island on August 11 while travelling from Kariba to Chalala Fishing Camp. Police confirmed that 97 people died and 77 were rescued, making it Zimbabwe’s deadliest transport disaster.
The tragedy prompted a state-of-disaster declaration and government investigations into the circumstances surrounding the sinking. Officials have also moved to restore water transport after the disaster disrupted a critical link between Kariba town and remote lakeshore communities.
A privately operated passenger ferry, the MV Silverstone, is expected to begin serving the Kariba–Chalala route after the cleansing ceremony.
The proposed shutdown therefore affects a lake that serves not only as a major tourism and fishing destination, but also as a transport corridor for communities and businesses along its shoreline.
Boat transfers, fishing operations, houseboat tourism, and passenger services form an important part of Kariba’s economy.
Chief Mola previously said traditional leaders wanted boats kept off the lake during the ceremony so the rites could proceed without disruption.
Mtetwa appealed to marine operators and other lake users to cooperate with the requested temporary suspension.
The request itself does not establish whether all lake activities will be halted; implementation depends on the relevant authorities and marine operators.
