Share

Joemat-Pettersson feels for small fishers

Cape Town - Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson is taking seriously the complaints of those who were not successful in fishing rights applications, her office said on Wednesday.

"We do understand the genuine grievances of communities who have been excluded from the fishing economy," her spokesperson Palesa Mokomele said.

"We understand the pressures they are under and the socio-economic challenges they have been left with."

Western Cape police said around 70 fishermen protested for fishing permits outside the Hout Bay harbour in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Colonel Tembinkosi Kinana said the group did not have fishing licences and the protest ended after negotiations took place.

"They blockaded the entrances and were alleged to have assaulted those who did have permits," said Kinana.

No arrests or injuries were reported.

The SABC reported that the protesters wanted former deputy director general of fisheries Desmond Stevens to be re-instated. They wanted Joemat-Pettersson to respond to their demands before they removed the blockade.

"We will dispatch a team to Hout Bay tomorrow morning [Thursday] to listen to the community," Mokomele said.

Appeals

In February, Joemat-Pettersson announced she had extended the period for appeals on the fishing rights allocation process until the end of April.

"There do seem to be legitimate concerns either relating to poor administration of the applications, or questionable judgements by the delegated officials," she told journalists in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, at the time.

She said there was "significant unhappiness" regarding allocations. This involved those who had not received a quota, as well as unhappiness about the size of quotas.

Fishing quotas were allocated prior to the December 31 deadline last year. At the time, the minister said 3490 applications for rights were received across all sectors of the industry, but only 593 could be approved.

Mokomele said amendments to the Marine Living Resources Act would give recognition to small-scale fishers, such as those in Hout Bay, "for the first time in history".

"Government will ring-fence fishing species for small-scale fishers," she said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.02
-0.6%
Rand - Pound
24.00
-0.4%
Rand - Euro
20.52
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.40
+0.4%
Palladium
998.40
-0.3%
Gold
2,212.97
+0.8%
Silver
24.70
+0.2%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,068
+0.6%
All Share
74,264
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,909
+2.2%
Industrial 25
103,553
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,463
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders