At least 97 lives were lost in Zimbabwe on 11 August, when the ferry Mbuya Nehanda sunk on Lake Kariba on the border with Zambia. Local media reports suggest the aging vessel, operated by the state-run Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, capsized in strong winds after waves flooded her engine compartment. Survivors reported being unable to find life jackets and were left clinging to debris as they waited for rescuers to arrive.
Despite the scale of the disaster, the fate of the Mbuya Nehanda got little more than a passing mention in the international media - perhaps because mass fatalities on African waterways are seen as routine events.
In fact, just 10 days after the Zimbabwe sinking, another tragedy struck, this time in Nigeria. At least 52 people, mostly children, drowned in Sokoto state when a boat carrying workers to rice farms capsized. This was Nigeria's second major passenger ferry disaster of 2026, following an incident in Yobe state in January that killed at least 26 people.
According to figures published by satellite communications company Inmarsat, some 2,033 maritime fatalities were recorded in Africa in 2024, of which more than 70% were in Nigeria, DR Congo and Mozambique. The true toll could be much higher, given that sinkings of small vessels, including the dugout canoes that remain common on some rivers and lakes, are not necessarily reported.
Originally published by African Business.