<\/p>\n
Speaking to Channel Africa on Thursday, Coltart stressed that an independent investigation was necessary because the ferry involved was owned by the government and concerns about its condition had reportedly been raised long before the accident.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coltart said sympathy must remain with the families affected by the tragedy, many of whom came from poor communities and relied on the ferry because alternative transport options were unaffordable. “I found this very distressing. My sympathy goes to the families of those who have lost loved ones,” Coltart said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Coltart, public concerns about the state of the ferry had circulated for at least a year, with some residents warning that a serious accident was inevitable. “Some were saying that this was an accident waiting to happen,” Coltart said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coltart argued that investigators must establish whether the vessel was properly maintained, whether passenger limits were exceeded and whether any government officials or operators failed to follow safety regulations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While reports have suggested that more than 150 people may have been on board, Zimbabwe’s government has said 119 passengers were listed on the ferry manifest. Coltart cautioned against drawing conclusions before a full investigation is completed. “We don’t know who is responsible. It appears at this stage as if there were multiple reasons for this,” Coltart said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coltart pointed to several possible contributing factors, including allegations of overloading, concerns about the vessel’s condition and severe weather conditions that affected Lake Kariba at the time of the accident.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Senator also linked the tragedy to broader concerns about safety standards and law enforcement in Zimbabwe. “Right across the country, there is scant observance of basic laws and basic safety requirements,” Coltart said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Beyond determining responsibility, Coltart said any inquiry should examine the long-term impact on affected families. Many victims were reported to be breadwinners, while others lost merchandise and livelihoods during the disaster. “If it’s found that people acted negligently, then those responsible should be held to account,” Coltart said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coltart also called for financial support for families who lost relatives and income earners, arguing that government should consider compensation mechanisms for dependants and survivors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The proposed commission, Coltart said, should include engineers, maritime experts, lawyers and social scientists. Findings should be made public, with government committing to implementing recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies in future. “It needs to be independent and multidisciplinary,” Coltart said. “We need to get to the truth of what has happened.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":42578,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-42577","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The Lake Kariba ferry tragedy has sparked growing calls for accountability, with Bulawayo Mayor and Senator David Coltart urging authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry to determine the causes of the disaster and identify any negligence.","published_date":"","news_description":"The Lake Kariba ferry tragedy has sparked growing calls for accountability, with Bulawayo Mayor and Senator David Coltart urging authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry to determine the causes of the disaster and identify any negligence.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42579,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42577\/revisions\/42579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=42577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}