By Vincent Khonje:
It is not always that one will hear Mchinji district being synonymous with boats.
However, the district has some enormous rivers that originate from Mchinji Hills, and here and there one can spot boats and canoes.
Rivers like Bua, Luwerezi, and Rusa meander their way across the district as they make their way out either into other rivers or to Lake Malawi.
Mostly, Mchinji receives incessant rains translating into these rivers swelling beyond their limits.
On Wednesday 12th April 2023 one of the rivers, Rusa, was put in the spotlight as a horrific boat accident claimed the lives of nine people who were going to the funeral of the wife of a traditional leader.
News of a funeral at the nearby Chinyonga village in Traditional Authority (TA) Dambe drew some attention from the people in TAs Mkanda and Gumba, and given their shared customs it was only noble to go and mourn with their friends.
The fateful Wednesday started normally with John Joseph (Now deceased), 43, and his family who operated a boat, doing what they have been doing for the past three years – helping people cross the Rusa River between Mwelekera and Chinyonga.
Due to the funeral, many individuals required the services, making it a very busy day for the late Joseph.
It was just like any other day, according to group village head (GVH) Khwele of TA Dambe, because for everyone, it was typical that people would utilise the boat that has consistently done a tremendous job of assisting people to cross the river.
“The boat has been used for all these years and there was nothing strange about it being used on this day. Late Joseph supported by his family has been in this business for a long time,” says GVH Khwele.
On the banks of the river, a temporary shelter constructed of sticks and grass was used by the late Joseph while he waited for passengers to board his wooden boat, which was built of planks nailed together.
Mercy Chechibisa from Chisamba village also TA Gumba, gives an account of what transpired on a fateful morning.
Chechibisa says men and women took turns crossing the river from one side to the other, and this time around late Joseph’s son was operating the boat.
After four trips of helping the men and women cross to the other side, the son grew tired since the boat used paddles to be rowed across the river and against the flow of water.
They had to pay K200 per person to be carried to the other side, thus the day looked to be profitable for the late Joseph and his family.
The son had to retire and pave way for the father to control the boat.
“This time the boat felt overloaded and as we were sailing it started to sink until it was completely submerged in the water. Fortunately, this happened on the shallow part and we had to go back and the boat was retrieved,” says Chechibisa.
After discussion amongst themselves, it was decided that the number of passengers be trimmed and this was agreed.
The boat took sail again this time, despite having fewer passengers than the previous trip it still felt overloaded according to Chechibisa.
“The boat is meant to carry seven people at most, but this time it had to take two times its capacity and when some passengers complained again about the overloading the owner of the boat brushed off the complaints,” said Chechibisa.
Chrissy Govati, a passenger from Ngulukira Village in TA Gumba, claims that the boat could not support the weight once more and started to sink in the middle of the brief passage across the flooded Rusa River.
“Together with the other passengers on board, we began to drown. I struggled to stay afloat by moving my hands in the water since I cannot swim, and as I grew fatigued, I could feel my body sinking to the river’s bottom until a well-wisher pulled me out,” says Govati.
Govati was one of the six survivors who managed to escape the tragedy unscathed while the other nine perished in the roaring floods.
While the survivors were treated at Kapiri Mission Hospital and Mkanda Health Centre, the bystanders were in a dejected mood as they had no idea what would happen to those lost in the water.
Mchinji District Commissioners Fred Movete, Officer in Charge for Mchinji Police John Nkhoma, and the district civil protection committee (DCPC) had to rush to attend to the tragedy.
Reports to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) were made and immediately the response came instantly.
By 4 am the following day the Monkey Bay Maritime Force soldiers were already on the ground for a search mission.
Villagers from both sides of the river gathered with dejected expressions, while hopes for the survival of their loved ones diminished.
With support from the locals, the marine soldiers had their tasks eased. Helped by inflated boats and their expertise they searched the river for two days.
As bodies began to be recovered, including boat owner late Joseph the people’s spirits were dampened.
What the late Joseph had wanted to use as a resting area while waiting for passengers to board his boat ended up serving as a temporary resting place for his and others’ remains while the villagers waited for the DoDMA-provided coffins that the dead were placed in before they were taken to their final resting place.
Lieutenant Julius Malivasi who was the team leader for the marine soldiers explained that they went to the scene to recover the bodies of those who drowned and the figure given was that the boat had 15 people, six survived and they recovered nine bodies.
“We thank the locals who were of great help in searching for the bodies and together with our soldiers they collaborated very well up to the point that all the bodies are recovered,” said Malivasi.
In the aftermath of the horrible accident, chiefs in TAs Mkanda and Dambe are asking for a bridge or a river-worthy boat to be used to cross the river.
According to the group village head Mwelekera, the people from his area find it difficult to cross the river to go to the other side especially when the river swells up.
“There is no place which we can use to cross when we want to go to the other side when there is a funeral and also when we want to access health services at Kapiri Mission Hospital,” explains GVH Mwelekera.
GVH Chinyonga from TA Dambe said there is a need for a bridge as the river is too long and there are no places where the people can use it to cross.
“If we can have a bridge or maybe a befitting boat operated by the district council, we can really appreciate it. The people from the two sides of the river are one and visit each other a lot and also cross the river for other opportunities like piece work in estates,” says GVH Chinyonga.
Rusa River originates from Mchinji Hills and stretches several kilometers all the way to Kasungu into the Bua River, and in Mchinji there are only two bridges on the river.
According to Mchinji DC, Movete if a bridge has to be constructed on the river then it has to be big which cannot be possible for a council like Mchinji to construct but Roads Authority.
“What we can only do as a council is to have reliable boats which the council can manage and help the people to cross the river,” explains Movete.
Without suitable crossing aids, there may be another terrible accident given the importance of trips to either side.
Despite struggles, the people will likely make many more trips over each side of the river and hundreds of people will continue to risk their lives on the Rusa River until there is a bridge or a dependable boat, which is what the people are pleading for.
