Poor still hooked on Illegal fishing
Limpopo residents defy danger and authorities in bid to make a living
The dangers that come with illegal fishing have not deterred some Limpopo residents from engaging in the practice in order to earn a living.
Thabo Magopa, 22, a Grade 12 pupil, stands on the main road near Mafisheng RDP settlement outside Lebowakgomo holding out fresh fish for passing motorists to buy.
Under the tree behind him, the bucket is filled to the brim with fish caught some time during risky night expeditions to avoid being seen by authorities.
Magopa is one of many who are fishing without permits in parts of the province, including the Vhembe district.
Despite warnings from environmental experts that fishing without permits results in overfishing, which causes a disturbance in the ecosystem, the people who do it believe it is their only escape from poverty.
“It’s a big risk but there’s nothing we can do. We have to put bread on the table.
“They tell us that what we are doing is illegal but they don’t tell us how to get permits,” Magopa said.
He said sometimes rangers guarding the area catch up with them and chase them away. They are also at the risks of drowning and being attacked by crocodiles.
Magopa sells the fish for R10 R20, depending on the size, and hecanmakeasmuchasR1 300 in a few days.
He said the money he makes helps him survive. “When there’s a school trip I pay for myself. I also buy my own school uniform,” he said.
Sowetan also spoke to a 42year-old mother who has been fishing since 2005. The woman, who asked not to be named because the trade they are involved in is illegal, said she had been working as a seasonal worker on surrounding farms for the past 11 years. She turned to fishing when the harvest season had passed and there was no work on the farms.
“I was struggling with no money to buy electricity and food so I joined the other women who go to the dam to fish. The money I make helps me buy food for my children and also make my burial society contributions,” she said.
“But it is dangerous and you have to be careful. There are crocodiles in the water,” she said.
The woman said she would leave fishing only if she finds stable employment.
A 25-year-old man said they were tired of being chased down and fined by authorities.
“Those people must give us jobs if they want us to stop selling fish, otherwise they must leave us alone,” he said.
It’s a big risk but there’s nothing we can do