Lakeshore communities north of Lake Malawi have entered a third week since Nkhata Bay Port collapsed due to disrepair.
The busy port, opened in 1957, has been falling apart for nearly 20 years as government cut back on hauling petroleum and farm produce using ships in preference for road transport.
According to Nkhata Bay port operations officer Francis Makalani, the jetty, long described as a death trap by passengers, finally succumbed to a heavy storm on Lake Malawi the night of November 2.
“The jetty has outlived its lifespan as you know it was constructed in the 1950s and from then, there has never been any major rehabilitation work. When the storm blew heavily, the jetty collapsed, leaving the bailey bridge to plunge into the lake,” Makalani is quoted as telling Malawi News Agency soon after the tragedy.
Government unveiled plans for the first-ever comprehensive rehabilitation of the jetty in 2006. However, the rehabilitation was postponed to early this year.
Just in July, shortly after government handed over the country’s port services to Mota-Engil to improve efficiency and profitability of shipping facilities, repairers were spotted doing minor works, especially sealing the cracks and welding metal sheets—too little, too late for travellers who say it is high time Nkhata Bay had a new jetty.
Speaking on behalf of the people of Likoma and Chizumulu islands, Traditional Authority Mkumba said there is need for new bridge. He said the country’s largest passenger ship MV Ilala and other motor vessels now dock in the middle of the lake, about 300 metres from the shore.
Both the Ministry of Transport and its concessionaire, the Malawi Shipping Company (MSC), say works are underway to restore the port’s operation
Malawi Shipping Company spokesperson Austin Msowoya said in an interview this week they have dispatched a team to work on the bridge.
“Our team is already on the ground, trying to repair it the port and we are working hand in hand with the Roads Department in the Ministry of Transport which is responsible for maintaining bridges like the one which links the port to the ship,” he said.
