CHISHIMBA BWALYA
Kafue National Park
ZAMBIA’s hopes of winning the Region Five Fishing Tournament title for the second time were dashed over the weekend after losing to Zimbabwe, who extended their dominance to seven crowns.
The Zambian team led by Darren Young was aiming to replicate the 2023 success when they won. Defending champions Zimbabwe once again proved superior scoring 8,344.38 points.
Zambia settled for second place with 6,946.68 points followed by Namibia in third position with 4,039.26 points. South Africa finished bottom with 3,443.38 points.
The all-species angling tournament, held at Mapunga Bush Camp on the Kafue River saw a total of 2,645 fish caught in a catch-and-release format, which organisers said is key to preserving the population across participating countries. Speaking after the competition, Young expressed disappointment with the performance.
“Over the last three days, fishing has been tough. The team has performed to the best of its abilities. We have got a lot of work to do to develop for next year. But the performance is commendable for the situation we are all in,” he said.
However, Team Namibia, who were participating in the tournament for the second time, were satisfied with the performance.
“Last year was difficult for us, this year we did a bit better. But next year we will show that we can compete on our own waters,” skipper De Waal Keyser said.
Namibia are scheduled to host the tournament next year on the Zambezi River near Katima Mulilo.
Participants have noted that the tournament is bound to grow with plans to bring in Mozambique and Botswana.
Zimbabwe team leader Shiloh Swart welcomed the idea of increasing participating countries. “We have managed to get South Africa and Namibia involved.
We hope to get another two countries from SADC [Southern Africa Development Community] to join us in a couple of years.
The bigger the better,” Swart said. Emile van Druten of South Africa commended the idea of catch-and-release, saying it helps maintain fish population while sustaining the competition.
Mapunga Bush Camp manager Greg Geldenhuys commended sponsors for making the tournament possible.
