More than 40 Zambian fishermen serving jail sentences in Zim

Lovemore Kanyama – Siavonga District Commissioner

More than 40 Zambians fishermen are serving jail sentences in Zimbabwe for fishing on that country’s side of Lake Kariba.

Siavonga District Commissioner Lovemore Kanyama says Zimbabwean security personnel have continued shooting and arresting Zambians for fishing on the Lake.

He says the Zambian fishermen are arrested, prosecuted, and jailed within a day and they are not represented by any lawyer.

Mr. Kanyama has also disclosed that many fishing vessels have been forfeited to the Zimbabwean government after being caught on the lake on the Zimbabwean side.

He has called for intervention into the matter to avoid the situation in which many Zambian fishermen are jailed in Zimbabwe.

He says last week six Zambian fishermen appeared in court after they were recently arrested.

Mr. Kanyama says government is facilitating for a process of ensuring that these nationals serve their jail sentences in Zambia as opposed to serving in Zimbabwe saying there is hunger there.