200 tonnes of fish harvested from Tugwi-Mukosi as dam changes rural lives

George Maponga at Tugwi-Mukosi Dam

Zimbabwe’s largest inland water body, Tugwi-Mukosi, is fast becoming a major source of income and a nutrition booster for communities in rural Masvingo with nearly 200 tonnes of fresh fish currently being harvested from the dam annually.

17 community fishing cooperatives from around Masvingo are harvesting an average of 18 tonnes of fish from the dam annually for sale and domestic consumption as the water body continues to positively impact the ongoing socio-economic transformation in the province.

Private fish breeders operating cages at the dam are recording annual fish hauls of more than 160 tonnes annually, according to figures gleaned from Zimparks.

Government stocked more than 500 000 bream fish fingerlings in the reservoir that was built at the confluence of Tugwi and Mukosi rivers and dissects Masvingo and Chivi districts.

Zimparks Director General Dr Fulton Mangwanya says fish harvested from Tugwi-Mukosi Dam is changing the…