Former Mt Pleasant MP Fadzayi Mahere has criticised Zimbabwe’s disaster response following the Lake Kariba ferry tragedy.
The ferry capsized on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least 27 people missing several hours later.
Mahere questioned the government’s preparedness to handle major emergencies across the country.
She also accused officials of prioritising personal luxuries over essential disaster response infrastructure.
According to Mahere, authorities should invest more resources into functional civil protection systems.
She said millions were instead being spent on “small houses, cars and trinkets”.
The Mbuyanehanda Ferry operated under the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, formerly known as the District Development Fund.
The vessel overturned near Long Island while carrying more than 100 passengers.
Meanwhile, rescue teams continued searching the lake late into the night.
Mahere questions disaster preparedness
Mahere used the tragedy to highlight what she sees as serious weaknesses within Zimbabwe’s emergency systems.
“Every day, we are reminded about how woefully inadequate, if not non-existent, Zimbabwe’s disaster management capacity is,” she wrote on Facebook.
“The Kariba Ferry disaster is further testament to a broken-down state which cannot save lives in critical moments.
“Instead of investing in functional civil protection systems, money is spent on small houses, cars and trinkets. It’s a mess.”
Her comments came as rescue teams worked to locate passengers still unaccounted for.
The tragedy has also raised questions about the ferry’s importance to communities around Lake Kariba.
MP explains ferry’s importance to communities
Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi described the ferry as a vital transport link.
She said residents from rural Nyaminyami relied on it to reach Kariba Urban.
“Communities in Kariba rural Nyaminyami used this boat as transport to cross Lake Kariba to go to Kariba urban and vice versa,” she wrote on X.
“These communities were displaced from their original lands, which is where the lake sits right now, to pave the way for the Kariba Hydroelectric project.
“To use the road, they have to first get to Karoi, then Makuti, which is a longer way.
“And besides, there is no reliable road transport because the Karoi Binga road has long been forgotten & is in bad shape.”
Murombedzi’s comments highlighted the difficult journey communities face without the ferry service.
Meanwhile, footage circulating online has sparked further questions about the vessel’s final journey.
People gathered near the ferry reportedly noticed unusually large waves before its departure.
Some bystanders also questioned whether the vessel carried too many passengers.
They reportedly feared the ferry could struggle against the rough conditions before completing its journey.
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