Vho Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli of the Mphaphuli dynasty has come out strongly against unregulated fishing at the Nandoni Dam that has become a death trap for his subjects. Mphaphuli was on a courtesy visit to the Mphego royalty at Mphego outside Thohoyandou last Saturday. The visit formed part of his monthly visits to different traditional leaders under his rule, where he interacts with his traditional leaders and the community in order to find out their challenges and developments in their areas Addressing the multitudes that had gathered, Mphaphuli said he had been briefed that many families had lost loved ones in fishing accidents at the nearby Nandoni Dam in recent years. He said the country could not continue to lose breadwinners and people who could contribute towards development in the villages through drowning. He said in as much as he understood the economic realities and the unemployment situation in the country, these facts should not let them turn a blind eye to the catastrophe that was facing them. “We all know the causes of these unnecessary deaths and we also know what could be done to stop this,” he said. Mphaphuli said he had learned that most of the local fishermen ventured into the dam during the night and some after imbibing liquor, which made them prone to accidents. He said one of the ways this could be stopped was through licensing of fishermen. This will stop those without the license from venturing into the waters and sometimes drowning there. He said the licensing should be done through traditional leaders, who have knowledge about their subjects. The local chief, Khosi Vho Mphego, said he was humbled by the high-powered visit of their most senior traditional leader. “We have waited for this day for too long, but we are happy it happened and, as a bonus, the king came with a high-powered delegation that added impetus to our function,” he said.