Zim and Zambia pilot Kariba buoys to curb arrests and fishing clashes

Zim and Zambia pilot Kariba buoys to curb arrests and fishing clashes

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Zimbabwe and Zambia have launched a pilot project to install floating buoys on Lake Kariba to mark the international boundary, in a move authorities say will cut down on arrests, vessel seizures and conflict among fishing communities.

The initiative was announced during the Zambia-Zimbabwe Joint Sensitisation Workshop on Lake Kariba demarcation held in Siavonga, Zambia, this week. It targets long-standing tensions on the lake, where the boundary is not physically marked and boat operators can cross into the other country without realising it.

With support from the African Union Border Programme and GI-Z, the two countries will pilot the buoys along the first 10 kilometres, starting from the Kariba Dam wall. Lake Kariba’s boundary stretches for about 280 kilometres.

Zambia’s assistant surveyor-general, Kelvin Chibangula, said the lack of visible markers had created repeated problems for people working on the water.

“Unclear boundaries on the lake have led to unintentional crossings, arrests, vessel seizures and conflicts among communities,” Chibangula told the workshop. He added that many fishermen go out before sunrise without GPS devices or maps, meaning an “invisible line” can lead to criminal charges and loss of property.

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Zimbabwe’s surveyor-general, Edwin Guvara, called on communities on both sides to take responsibility for protecting the new markers.

“We are calling on communities from both countries to safeguard this infrastructure,” Guvara said. “These buoys are not just government property. They belong to the people who depend on Lake Kariba for survival.”

He warned that if a buoy is destroyed or moved it could reopen disputes. “If one buoy is destroyed or moved, we create a gap and that gap becomes a source of confusion and conflict again,” he said, urging communities to prevent vandalism, collisions and tampering.

Guvara said findings from the pilot will be used to assess whether the buoys can withstand strong winds, waves and heavy boat traffic before any decision is taken on marking the entire boundary.

GI-Z representative Yannick Le Gleau said the organisation was supporting the African Union Border Programme’s objective of turning borders into areas of co-operation rather than confrontation.

“The African Union Border Programme envisions transforming administrative borders to spaces of peaceful integration, where borders are not barriers but bridges for trade, co-operation and shared prosperity,” Le Gleau said. He added that clearer markers on Lake Kariba would improve safety and support local development.

An African Union representative, Grant Bowers, described the buoy plan as a landmark step, saying it is the first lake border demarcation initiative of its kind in Africa.

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