By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
As the nation reels from the Lake Kariba boat tragedy that has claimed at least 44 lives, Evangelist Paddington Japa-Japa of Tabernacle of Grace Church has issued a powerful call for national repentance, urging Zimbabweans to seek God in the wake of the disaster.
“I am feeling a lot of pain inside my heart about the Kariba Dam boat incident,” Japa-Japa said. “This is the works of the devil. It is spiritual on the other part and the other part is human error.”
The evangelist’s message comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the tragedy a State of Disaster, acknowledging “serious deficiencies” in Zimbabwe’s maritime safety capabilities.
The Mbuya Nehanda vessel, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), capsized on 11 August while travelling from Kariba to Chalala, carrying far more passengers than its stated capacity of 90.
Japa-Japa offered a dual explanation for the tragedy, pointing to both human negligence and spiritual forces.
On the human side, he condemned the overloading and lack of safety precautions. “We heard that the boat had the capacity of carrying 90 passengers but it was carrying around 160 passengers. Overloading, human error. That’s total negligence,” he said.
He called on the Ministry of Agriculture to impound and destroy all unsafe boats operating on the lake. “Nobody must be allowed to operate a boat which is not safe. Even the small ones, the speed boats, if they are not safe, we encourage the Minister to impound them.”
On the spiritual side, Japa-Japa linked the disaster to “marine spirits,” citing biblical references to Leviathan and Behemoth from the Book of Job. “Most of those things, cyclone, the hurricanes, those are marine spirits,” he said. “These are demonic.”
The evangelist’s central message was one of repentance. “Every human being must repent, repent, repent, seek the Kingdom of God,” he urged, quoting Matthew 6:33: “Seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness and everything that you need shall be added unto you.”
He also called on Zimbabweans to be born again, referencing John 3 and Romans 10:9, and urged the nation to unite in prayer.
The call for repentance mirrors the President’s own appeal for national prayer. In declaring the State of Disaster, Mnangagwa said: “Let us, as a nation, unite in prayer for the souls of the departed, for the success of the ongoing search operations, speedy recovery of survivors and for comfort and strength for the bereaved families”.
The tragedy has been compounded by harrowing accounts from survivors who say they pleaded with the captain to turn back before the vessel capsized.
Passengers noticed violent waves and begged the captain not to proceed, but their concerns were dismissed.
According to survivor accounts, the captain responded: “DDF does not drown”.
Water began pouring into the engine room within minutes of departure, and chaos erupted as passengers scrambled for life jackets.
The captain was among the dead, according to state media reports.
The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference has also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, offering prayers and solidarity to affected families.
“Our hearts and prayers go first to the families who have lost their loved ones,” the bishops said.
As search and rescue operations continue to account for the missing, Japa-Japa’s message of repentance joins a growing chorus of spiritual reflection on a tragedy that has shaken the nation to its core.
For those who have lost loved ones, and for a nation in mourning, his words echo a sentiment shared by many: “Every human being must repent, repent, repent.”
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