The waters of Lake Malawi and surrounding rivers in Nkhotakota have long sustained livelihoods, offering food and income to thousands of families. Each morning, fishermen set out with hope. Increasingly, however, those same waters are becoming a source of tragedy.
One of the most devastating cases occurred in January, when a boat capsized in the Dwangwa River, claiming seven lives in a single boat.
Police spokesperson Chisomo Chuma and Andrew Kamanga attribute many of the incidents to risky behaviour, including ignoring weather warnings and poor supervision of children. Yet this explanation only tells part of the story.
“Many fishermen continue to ignore weather forecasts despite repeated warnings, while most child drowning cases are linked to poor parental supervision. Most of these tragedies occur when people travel or fish during bad weather, despite ongoing awareness campaigns,” Chuma says
For many within the fishing communities, the real issue lies not just in individual decisions, but in the absence of enforceable systems that make safety unavoidable.
Fisherman Harry Mkwanda of Ngala Village says the dangers are well understood, but largely unmanaged. Sudden winds, he explains, can overturn boats within minutes, leaving those on board with little chance of survival, especially in the absence of life-saving equipment.
“Most of us cannot afford life jackets but there is also no structured support to ensure we have them. We are left to take risks because we have no alternatives,” he says.
Nkhotakota District Council Principal Fisheries Officer Symon Ngwira confirms that nearly half of the district’s more than 3,600 fishing vessels are traditional dugout canoes, which are highly unstable in rough waters. He also acknowledges that many Beach Village Committees lack formalised and enforceable safety by-laws, making it difficult to regulate practices on the lake.
Ngwira says this creates an enforcement gap, as safety at landing sites is not backed by binding local rules. Although the Fisheries Department, Marine Police and the District Disaster Management Office are involved in awareness campaigns and monitoring, enforcement of safety measures such as life jacket use, boat inspections and adherence to weather warnings remains inconsistent and largely dependent on individual compliance.
“Without formalized by-laws giving Beach Village Committees legal authority to sanction offenders, safety remains a matter of personal choice rather than enforceable community regulation. This limits accountability and weakens compliance with basic safety standards,” he says.
Dr Lucy Mtilatila, Director of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, says her department continues to issue timely weather warnings. However, she admits that the effectiveness of these warnings is undermined by gaps in how they reach fishing communities.
Fishing in Nkhotakota remains a lifeline, but one that is increasingly defined by risk as between January and April this year, 15 people have died in drowning incidents across the district, up from nine during the same period last year. The figures, compiled from Nkhotakota and Nkhunga Police Stations.
By Wongani Mkonkholo, Nkhotakota
