The species is found in the drainage basin of the upper Congo River, in the drainage basin of the Kasai River, in Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Zambezi river and in the costal regions of the Zambezi outlet to KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in the Limpopo River, the Okavango River, and the Cunene River. They've been established as edible fish in several countries.