E
D I T O R S
C
O M M E N T
By Ant Williams
T
wenty-fourteen marks a milestone in the history of
angling in Zimbabwe. The National Anglers Union
of Zimbabwe (NAUZ) celebrated its 70th birthday,
and for the first time in that history, a lady angler was voted
Chairperson of the Union. Denise Rae, a past vice chairperson
for several years, became the first lady to hold the post. The
appointment was ratified at the NAUZ Congress in February,
an event which was followed by a formal dinner hosted by the
Union and held in Harare that night, and enjoyed by some 70
members and invited guests. Tom Oxden-Willows - the current
president of the Union - toasted the past, present and future
custodians of the Union, while Brian Carcary - a past president
- recounted the long and varied history of the National Anglers
Union of Zimbabwe, which interestingly had small beginnings
prior to its official formation, but which was interrupted by the
Second World war.
It was quite a humbling experience to be present among
so much history and passion for the sport, and with a rich
abundance of that history represented at the dinner by
past office bearers and members alike. Zimbabwe can be
justifiably proud of the infrastructure and facilities the Union
has developed over the years, as well as our participation in
the regional and international fishing arenas covering many
disciplines and incorporating junior, ladies and mens teams.
For sure, an outstanding organisation which really does have
its members at heart, and one we, as a magazine have always
enjoyed tremendous support. I thank them.
As we go to press, probably our most prominent angling
resource - Lake Kariba - has come into the spotlight again
with (apparently) misinterpreted press reports warning of its
imminent collapse. Over the years, we have covered many of
the issues related to the Kariba Dam Wall, and its maintenance.
Like any piece of significant infrastructure, the wall and its
well-being are constantly monitored, and provisions made for
its security in the future. However, any hint of this ongoing
maintenance always makes for sensational reporting and news,
and it would seem this time is no different.
A press release by the Zambezi River Authority - a joint
venture between Zambia and Zimbabwe - circulated late in
March stated “Following reports in the local and international
media on the status of the Kariba Dam Wall, the Zambezi River
Authority (ZRA) would like to inform the general public and
all stakeholders that the Kariba Dam Wall is in a stable state.
“ZRA regrets the misinterpretation on the facts about the
Kariba Dam Wall impending collapse which caused alarm
among stakeholders and the public in general. While the
situation at the Kariba Dam Wall is cause for grave concern,
the engineers on the ground have the situation under control.
This does not translate to an immediate calamity. However,
all urgency is expected in order to avert any such catastrophe
as dam failure.
“The information carried in the media emanated from a
co-operating partners’ conference held on 12 March, 2014 in
V o l . 24 # 6
Livingstone, Zambia to mobilize funds for the rehabilitation
of the Kariba Dam Wall.
“The information denotes the scenarios that could possibly
occur should ZRA fail to carry out maintenance and monitoring
on the dam wall. ZRA carries out inspections and surveys
twice a year on the Kariba Dam. In addition, every five years,
a special safety inspection is undertaken with experts from
France who were involved in the original design of the Dam,
with the last inspection having been undertaken in 2010.
Other ad hoc inspections are conducted from time to time
when required.
“Furthermore, there are several instruments in the Dam
Wall which measure stress, any changes or movement in the
Wall, water pressure and drainage. These are continually
inspected and have remained intact over the last 54 years.”
“In recent years, concern has been raised over the safety
of the Kariba Dam wall which was built over 50 years ago.
The dam wall now requires a series of rehabilitation works in
order to avoid gradual degradation of key dam safety features
while maintaining operations levels acceptable in accordance
with international operating standards.
Contained in a five year strategic plan, ZRA had identified
“Undertaking critical dam maintenance programs” as one
of its objectives since 2010, an ongoing process while a
lasting solution is being sought, and includes re-shaping the
plunge pool on the down-river side of the wall and spillway
refurbishment among other work. Central to all of this, is the
cognisance of Kariba’s importance to not only Zimbabwe
and Zambia’s power, but southern Africa as a whole, and of
course the possible humanitarian impacts should the wall fail.
The press release concludes “ZRA is currently updating
its Emergency Preparedness Plan for the Lower Zambezi
and also enhancing its internal processes and procedures for
preparedness.
“ ZRA takes this opportunity to re-assure the public and all
our stakeholders that there is no need to panic as the situation
is under control. ZRA will continue to fulfil its mandate of
monitoring, maintenance and corrective measures to protect
the dam and ensure its safety.”
More information can be obtained from Elizabeth
Karonga, the Public Relations & Communications Manager,
Zambezi River Authority on e-m