The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Advocate Felix Mhona, has appointed a three-member Board of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Rural Infrastructural Development Agency (RIDA) vessel casualty on Lake Kariba on August 11, 2026.
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Read E-PaperThe appointment follows approval by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and was made in terms of the Inland Waters Shipping Act \[Chapter 13:06\].
The board will be chaired by Justice J.M. Mafusire, with Commissioner Dr W. Makamache and Advocate P. Musarurwa serving as members.
The inquiry will establish the nature, causes and circumstances of the incident involving vessel KF551.
It will also examine whether the vessel complied with safety requirements, registration and certification procedures, as well as operational rules governing inland water transport.
The board will further assess the vessel’s passenger and cargo capacity and examine the regulatory framework governing shipping operations on inland waters.
The findings are expected to guide possible policy and legislative reforms aimed at improving safety standards and strengthening security in Zimbabwe’s inland water transport sector.
The inquiry will also recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The board has been given three months to complete its investigations, with a possible extension of one month if necessary.
Hearings will be conducted in Kariba, where the incident occurred.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development said the inquiry forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen safety standards and improve the regulation of inland water transport across the country.
