The body of a Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer who went missing following a boat accident on Lake Kariba last Friday has been retrieved.
The remains of the soldier, Tafadzwa Mashingaidze, were retrieved on Wednesday and two of the people who were in the boat when it capsized remain unaccounted for. Mashingaidze’s body was found floating on the lake.
An eyewitness who is part of the rescue mission, Chenjerai Zambezi, told H-Metro that Mashingaidze’s body was found around 7 am. He said:
His body was found around 7 am floating from where others were rescued. The lake is now calmer than yesterday. I hope we are going to find the other two bodies left.
Mashingaidze’s aunt Elizabeth Chengeta told H-Metro that the body has been identified and they will be on their way to Chinhoyi. She said:
If all goes well, we will be in Chinhoyi today. However, there is going to be a church service at home. He is going to be buried in Mudzimu, Hurungwe.
A fisherman who refused to be identified told the publication that small boats were being used as a form of transport by fishermen, buyers and traders to and from the fishing camps.
However, he bemoaned the overloading of people and baggage in these unlicensed boats as a recipe for disaster.
Five people are believed to have drowned when a boat they were sailing in capsized on Lake Kariba on Friday morning.
The incident occurred around 4 am when the vessel hit turbulent waters, stirred by strong winds, near Ndomo fishing camp.