MOLA, Aug. 18 (NewsDay Live) — The late Matilda Gwangwava, 42, who was among those missing after the Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster on Lake Kariba, was finally laid to rest in Mola village on Monday after her body was recovered at the weekend.
Kariba MP Shine Gwangwava confirmed that his sister’s body was among those retrieved during the ongoing search and was identified by their brother at Kariba District Hospital.
“I can confirm that my late sister was among those retrieved at the weekend and my brother identified her in Kariba. As a family, we decided to have her buried here in Mola,” Gwangwava said from Mola, where he is supporting affected families.
Matilda leaves behind three children and a husband based in the Makande rural area.
“She was among 12 of my close relatives that have been retrieved so far. We are missing three more, but will be updating as the search continues,” he said.
Identification has emerged as one of the most difficult aspects of the disaster, with some recovered bodies badly decomposed and others recovered with missing body parts, making it difficult for families to identify and claim their loved ones.
Despite the challenges, the Gwangwava family managed to identify Matilda in Kariba before bringing her body home for burial.
Gwangwava said he had been moving around affected communities providing moral support and distributing donated goods from well-wishers.
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He is being assisted by Chief Mola, other traditional leaders and churches in the area.
Mashonaland West MPs also visited remote parts of Nyaminyami Rural District over the weekend to console families affected by the disaster.
The delegation was led by Chinhoyi legislator Leslie Mhangwa and Kadoma Central MP Gift Mambiripiri. Mutsa Murombedzi was also part of the team.
The confirmed death toll from the Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster has reached 93, with more people still missing.
The disaster is among Zimbabwe’s worst in recent history, with burials continuing in Mola, Kariba and Karoi as families await the recovery and identification of their loved ones.
