By Tendai Makaripe
KARIBA, Zimbabwe — Nearly a month after the Mbuya Nehanda ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, the accident has left pupils and teachers without their regular transport link as schools prepare to reopen, Mashonaland West proportional representation MP Mutsa Murombedzi said.
Murombedzi said in a Facebook post Sunday that many pupils and teachers crossed the lake for the school holidays but now struggle to return to Nyaminyami in rural Kariba.
Schools reopen for the third term Tuesday.
The Rural Infrastructure Development Agency operated the ferry, which capsized near Long Island on August 11 during a trip from Kariba to Chalala, killing 97 people.
Before the disaster, it provided an affordable connection between urban Kariba and remote lakeshore communities.
After the disaster, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said the government would secure a replacement ferry and urgently rehabilitate the alternative road.
However, Murombedzi said travellers now face a Karoi-Siakobvu-Mola detour costing more than US$30. As a result, families and teachers face additional costs as the term begins.
“The government must urgently provide a shuttle bus for returning teachers and school children to Nyaminyami Kariba rural,” Murombedzi said.
She also called for repairs to the Karoi-Binga road so more transport operators could safely serve the area.
Meanwhile, her post prompted debate on Facebook over who should organise emergency transport.
Makoni North MP Joseph Muwombi suggested that Murombedzi hire buses or seek help from the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company.
“Lead the people, don’t cry with them, find solutions,” Muwombi said.
By contrast, Chiredzi Central MP Blessing Ropafadzo Makumire rejected the suggestion that an individual lawmaker should fund a public service.
“Public work must never depend on the generosity of individuals,” Makumire said. He added that the government must fund public work through taxpayers’ money and spend it transparently and accountably.
In addition, Andrew Sanganayi suggested that the government temporarily engage private ferry operators and restore an army boat capable of carrying many passengers.
Murombedzi did not specify how many pupils and teachers face the disruption. Therefore, without temporary transport, some could miss the opening days of the term.
