President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his condolences to the government and people of Zimbabwe following the loss of 44 lives in a ferry tragedy on Lake Kariba.

The ferry capsized on Tuesday (11 August) in rough weather while carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children. The vessel, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), had a capacity of 90 people.

On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, President Ramaphosa expressed his sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives, as well as to survivors of the tragedy. His thoughts are also with families awaiting the outcome of ongoing search operations.

“As South Africans, we stand in solidarity today with the nation of Zimbabwe as we mourn this extensive loss of life,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement on Thursday.

“We wish survivors a speedy recovery and we pay tribute to the emergency services who are working tirelessly to support and bring closure to affected families and communities.”

Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed the death toll on Wednesday afternoon. The civil protection unit said 77 people were rescued and taken to Long Island in the middle of the lake. Two funeral parlours have been engaged to collect the bodies as the search continues for unaccounted people.

The ferry operates between the northern town of Kariba and several islands and fishing villages on the lake. It is one of the worst recorded passenger boat disasters on Lake Kariba, which sits on the border with Zambia more than 300 km northeast of Harare. The lake is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.

Witnesses reported that the ferry left in bad weather and may have been hit by a wave, causing its engines to switch off. Rescue teams, including helicopters, boats and divers from the local area and the army, responded to the distress call.

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