THE ZANZIBAR FERRY DISASTER

An overloaded ferry has capsized off Zanzibar. Having lived in Tanzania for eight years, I have to say that I am not surprised.

There is a chronic shortage of transport in Africa, whether ships, planes, railways, buses or lorries. That means that virtually everything is overloaded with goods and people. Furthermore, the equipment tends to be in extremely poor condition (it is worth noting that there is no word for "maintenance" in swahili, the local language). That combination makes African roads and sealanes a disaster waiting to happen.

When I lived in Tanzania in the 1990's, a ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, just off Mwanza. It was overloaded with people coming from Bukoba and vast quantities of heavy bananas (plantains) destined for the Mwanza market. It was so overcrowded, that when it stopped off at a second port, people refused to board. The ship's manifest said that there were 443 on the ferry; but it is estimated that more than 800 people died. Nothing much seems to have changed since then. In July and August this year alone, there have been at least three capsizings on the lake, the last costing 17 children their lives.

The Zanzibar disaster seems to have followed exactly the same pattern. The ferry was heavily overloaded with both people and goods purchased in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam as part of the festivities to mark the end of Ramadan. Registered to carry 600 passengers, there were at least 200 more on board. Indeed, there were so many that some people refused to get on in Dar because the boat was tilting. The sea was not particularly rough; but when the engine failed, the ship was defenceless against all that weight.

One slightly surprising fact was the relatively large number of survivors, 620 or so. Many Africans don't learn to swim, so if a boat capsizes, they drown. It would appear that in this case, many of the goods (eg fridges and mattresses) could float, and people were able to hang onto them until they were rescued.

There will of course be an investigation, and fingers may even be pointed. But it won't change much. There will be another, similar, disaster in Tanzania before long.

Walter Blotscher