POLICE divers were yesterday still searching for the body of a fisherman who drowned on Saturday evening while fishing at the Nandoni Dam near Thohoyandou.

POLICE divers were yesterday still searching for the body of a fisherman who drowned on Saturday evening while fishing at the Nandoni Dam near Thohoyandou.

Mashudu Mandinda of Tshiulungoma village is said to have gone fishing on Friday afternoon and was last seen on Saturday when his canoe capsized .

Police spokesperson Captain Mashudu Malelo said Mandinda, 25, was fishing with a friend, who survived. "We have dispatched a group of police divers and sniffer dogs to the dam to assist in the search," said Malelo.

Fishing at Nandoni has become a means of survival for many families as they depend on selling fish to provide for their children.

But the provincial department of water affairs said fishing in dams was mostly done illegally. The department said it would intensify monitoring the dams as most canoes used by fishermen were not up to standard.

Alson Matukane, a director in the department, said they were going to dispatch a team of environmental and water "police" to monitor fishing activities at the dam that has so far claimed six lives. "We are quite worried about those who fish at night. Apart from drowning, they are also in danger of hooking crocodiles while fishing in the dam."

Police have opened an inquest docket regarding the disappearance of Mandinda.