The survivor story of Anymore Chambati after the Kariba RIDA ferry disaster remains a story for another day.
The ferry tragedy where one man survived without getting wet.
A day that began like any other ended in the kind of disaster that leaves questions behind long after the search has stopped.
May the souls of those who perished rest in peace.
However, Zimdailyjournal took a ‘tricky’ angle of the sad events.
The Kariba RIDA Ferry tragedy, marked by the reported loss of 97 lives, has continued to attract public attention, not only because of the scale of the tragedy, but because of a survivor account that has divided opinion.
At the centre of the discussion is Anymore Chambati, described in public retellings as the only survivor who escaped death “without getting wet.”
Anymore Chambati, who had been a security official on the vessel, said he had tried to hand out life jackets as the boat began to sink.
“I managed to only give out not more than 10.
“The ferry engines were filled with water because of the heavy winds, and eventually they failed, save for one.”
According to details shared by Chambati and repeated in the community, the incident unfolded quickly after the ferry began to sink.
As people struggled to survive, Chambati, identified as the security officer aboard the vessel, reportedly made a rapid move to secure himself.
Accounts say Chambati quickly jumped to the top of the sinking boat for safety, and that he remained there while the situation worsened below.
In one version of events, he did not assist others initially, a point that later became central to the debate over whether his actions reflected bravery or cowardice.
Rescuers later assisted him, after which he survived and was able to recount what happened.
“We stayed on top of the boat.
“Isu takaponera pamusoro peboat, takazenge takanogara pamusoro peboat,” he said, describing how he and others reportedly ended up above the boat and stayed there.
The phrase has since become widely repeated, partly because it helps explain the claim that he never got wet, but also because it raises uncomfortable questions about responsibility in the moment of crisis.
How many were on board?
Chambati also reportedly stated that the ferry carried 153 occupants, including crew members and children
Despite the large number on board, survival was limited.
From the crew, it was said that Chambati and Tinashe Chigomwe survived, while their captain and other passengers perished.
A second survivor, Taurai Chalibamba, a 36-year-old woman, was widely described as demonstrating bravery by saving seven people, including her two children, during the ferry tragedy.
“Pandakabuda ndakada kushambira ndichienda kure but ndakabva ndadzoka, ndichiti ndiwane pekubatirira.
“Pandaiedza kudaro, ndakaona vaChambati vari pamusoro, ndichibva ndavatambidza mwana wangu, ndichibva ndadzokera kunobatsira vamwe.
“I helped my child and seven other people,” she narrated.
Accounts say she swam and helped survivors even as the situation remained deadly.
While Chambati’s survival narrative has been framed by the claim that he stayed on top without assisting at first.
