By Admore Mbonda
KARIBA — As investigators piece together the final moments of the Mbuya Nehanda ferry, police have issued a stern warning against a wave of false claims and fabricated accounts that threaten to derail the inquiry into Zimbabwe’s deadliest maritime disaster.
Police Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigators were particularly concerned about allegations circulating outside official channels, including claims that the late captain was carrying US$10,000 and that a group of Somali nationals survived the disaster and disappeared. Police say they have found no evidence to substantiate either claim.
“There are certain individuals who are circulating falsehoods and making serious allegations without producing a shred of evidence,” Nyathi said. “Let me be clear. Such claims must stop.”
Police Commissioner Paul Nyathi
The warning comes as investigators pursue a widening inquiry into the August 11 tragedy, examining alleged breaches of procedure, passenger numbers, ticketing, loading, and possible revenue irregularities aboard the ill-fated vessel.
With the death toll now standing at 94, the disaster has been declared Zimbabwe’s deadliest transport accident on record, surpassing the 1991 Nyanga bus crash in which 89 people lost their lives.
Nyathi said claims that money allegedly carried by the captain were unsupported by the evidence available to police.
“There are claims that the captain of the vessel was carrying a stash of US$10,000,” he said. “As the police, we have no information or evidence whatsoever to substantiate that claim.”
He challenged those making the allegations to take evidence to investigators rather than circulate them as fact. “If you have evidence, bring it to the police. Do not circulate unverified claims.”
Police have also rejected allegations that between 10 and 15 Somali nationals were aboard the vessel, survived the disaster, and subsequently disappeared.
“Again, we have no evidence to substantiate these allegations,” Nyathi said.
The police warning extends beyond those specific claims, with Nyathi saying those continuing to circulate unsupported information could be required to explain the basis for their assertions.
“Those who continue to circulate such information will be called upon to account for the claims they are making and to produce the evidence supporting them,” he said.
The intervention comes as investigators attempt to reconstruct events surrounding the ferry’s final journey, with significant questions already emerging over how many people were actually aboard and whether passenger and revenue records accurately reflected those numbers.
A manifest handed to the late captain recorded 120 passengers — 108 adults and 12 children. However, police investigations indicate that more than 150 people may have been aboard.
Investigators are also examining the vessel’s loading, with police revealing that the ferry exceeded its maximum permissible load by more than 30 tonnes, with excess luggage contributing to the additional weight.
The inquiry has extended to the ferry’s revenue records, with police examining an apparent discrepancy between the number of passengers declared by the crew and the number investigators believe may have been aboard. Police are seeking to establish where revenue associated with any additional passengers went.
The captain’s death in the disaster has complicated the investigation, as he can no longer provide investigators with an account of the passenger loading, ticketing, or revenue declarations.
Nyathi said the absence of the captain’s testimony would not prevent police from pursuing the evidence available to them.
At the same time, police are urging witnesses and anyone holding relevant information to come forward — but to provide accounts based on what they actually saw or know.
“If you witnessed something, report what you witnessed. Do not manufacture information. Do not repeat rumors as facts,” Nyathi said.
No Cover-Up, No Sweeping Under the Carpet
Nyathi said the sensitivity of the investigation, coupled with the international attention surrounding the disaster, made it particularly important that information entering the public domain be capable of verification.
“This is an extremely sensitive investigation,” he said. “People must exercise restraint and allow investigators to do their work. Information must come through official channels and must be based on facts, not hearsay, speculation, or fabricated stories.”
The commissioner sought to reassure the public that the findings would not be suppressed.
“We give the public our assurance, consistent with what President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said, that this investigation will be thorough and that its findings will be made public,” Nyathi said. “There will be no cover-up. There will be no sweeping of this matter under the carpet.”
The police investigation continues along two parallel tracks: establishing the facts surrounding the ferry’s passenger numbers, loading, ticketing, and revenue, while challenging accounts that investigators say have not been supported by evidence.
Nyathi said the scale of the loss demanded that investigators establish not only what happened but how it happened and where responsibility lies.
“We will follow the evidence wherever it leads,” he said.
He urged anyone with information to bring it directly to investigators.
“Bring us what you know. Bring us what you witnessed. But do not come forward with hearsay, speculation, or falsehoods. The investigation will be guided by evidence, and the truth must prevail.”
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