Chivero killer boat had a mechanical fault

As people continue to demand answers about the boat that capsized and killed 11 children on Christmas Day, it has emerged that the killer boat had a mechanical fault which the owner was aware of.

According to a worker at Fish Eagle, the boat owner Latif Ameer's sanctioned the use of the boat even though a mechanic had said it was not fit for public use.

The labourer who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation said the killer boat was actually on a test drive when it ferried the 11 children to their death.

"The mechanic advised Ameer that the boat was not fit to carry people but I don't know what happened because all of a sudden we saw the boat on the water carrying many people," the worker said.

He told the Daily News that when Ameer asked the mechanic to teach him how to operate the boat, he flatly refused saying it was not fit for use.

The worker confirmed that the killer boat is permitted to carry five people only but there were 17 passengers on board.

"The mechanic refused to carry passengers saying the boat was not fit for the purpose but Enock Zulu, who once worked for Ameer volunteered to drive the boat."

Harare magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini placed Zulu who does not have a licence to drive a boat on $500 bail together with Ameer and two others Joseph Abraham and Fadil Ramon Weale who were also present when the boat was overloaded. The four are facing culpable homicide charges.

The worker said Ameer's actions were out of character as the boat in question was not fully equipped to operate. He said the unlicenced killer boat did not even have life savers.

Zulu, who according to Ameer's worker was drunk, is said to have fled as soon as the boat capsized and never attempted to assist the children who were held underwater by the hull after the boat tipped over.

"Initially, the boat took off from Fish Eagle heading to the Spillway but it decided to change direction midway and headed towards Hunyani Hills probably because Zulu realised the boat would not make it there," said the worker.

William Kerekere who grew up along the shores of Lake Chivero castigated the police and officials from Parks and Wildlife for not being vigilant on occasions like Christmas Day when people were bound to be over excited.

He said the accident could have been avoided if the parks staff were not napping on the job.

"Where were the parks' officials when the boat was being overloaded a stone's throw from their offices?" Kerekere asked.

Kerekere also blamed corruption as the reason why unlicenced boat operators were found in the parks' waters.

Parks and Wildlife Management public relations manager Caroline Washaya-Moyo has already admitted that the boat was not licenced to carry passengers and said her organisation has since launched a crackdown on illegal boat operators.

Kerekere said: "Parks now employ unqualified rangers with a limited understanding of their duties and with vigilant workers; the accident could have been avoided."

This is not the first time such an accident has happened on Lake Chivero. In 1995, 22 Moleli Secondary School pupils perished under similar circumstances.