20/10/2026
ROAD MAP FOR THE BOARD OF INQUIRY APPOINTED TO INVESTIGATE THE RIDA VESSEL CASUALTY ON LAKE KARIBA
• 11 August 2026, the RIDA vessel, Registration Number KF551, was tragically involved in a casualty on Lake Kariba.
• 14 August 2026, His Excellency, Cde. Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa aptly approved the appointment of the Board of Inquiry into the RIDA shipping vessel casualty by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
• The Minister has appointed an independent three-member Board of Inquiry in terms of Section 25 (5) of the Inland Shipping Waters Act [Chapter 13:06].
• The Board of Inquiry is chaired by the Judge of the Supreme Court, Honourable Justice J. M. Mafusire and also includes Commissioner Dr. W. Makamache and Advocate P. Musarurwa as members.
• The appointment was promulgated through General Notice 1934/2026 on 2 October 2026, marking the official appointment and preparations for the commencement of the Inquiry.
• Terms of Reference include investigating: the causes and circumstances of the casualty; vessel passenger and freight capacity and loading standards, search and rescue capabilities; the vessel's registration, certification and fitness; the competence of the actors who procured, owned, operated and navigated it; and any other matters which the Board of Inquiry may deem fit.
• The Board may, using its quasi-judicial discretion, founded in law and best practices of administering quasi-judicial bodies of this nature, subpoena anyone, including those who constituted it.
• Hearings will be conducted in Kariba.
• The Inquiry shall run for three months, with the possibility of extension of a further one month.
• The government’s administrative and logistical support towards the Board of Inquiry will be provided by the Secretariat, headed by its Secretary, Engineer P.J. Makumbe who is NOT a Member of the Board.
• The findings of the inquiry shall bring closure to the relatives of the deceased with regards to the circumstances of deaths, and also inform policy by shaping future shipping and navigation policies and operations for the best interest of public safety and security in inland waters shipping.
• A report will be submitted by the Board to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development on completion of the Inquiry.