‘Arson’ scuppers black fisherman’s tuna dream
Suspicious fire destroys R5m boat on eve of delivery
● Miles Sonday was just a few hours from realising a South African fairytale — becoming the first self-made black tuna tycoon.
But then an apparent arson attack destroyed his new R5-million boat outside the West Coast boatyard where it had been built, prompting suspicions that saboteurs opposed to transformation in the fishing industry were responsible.
Sonday had been due to take possession of the 15m boat, Dr Fish, this week from Sachal and Stevens in Vredenburg.
The boatyard had just been granted permission to transport the vessel to the coast after a protracted stand-off with the provincial traffic department over the company’s abnormal-load trailer. Transport permission was finally granted 48 hours before the fire on Sunday.
“Why someone would want to destroy the vessel is a complete mystery to me and is a worry,” said boatbuilder Mark Stevens.
“The vessel has been inspected by the insurance assessor and is a total write-off.”
He said a petrol-soaked towel in a bucket was found at the scene.
The blaze has shocked industry stakeholders, with Western Cape ANC secretary Faiez Jacobs leading the call for an investigation.
The burnt-out wreck was inspected by forensic investigator David Klatzow, who wrote a report on the cause of the huge fire in Knysna last year.
Sonday, from Simon’s Town, has been a rights holder in the tuna pole fishery since 2006. He said he believed the boat could have been attacked by people opposed to policies that encourage restructuring within the historically white-dominated fishing industry.
He said he had worked for several years to raise the finance and had been ready to start fishing his quota immediately.
“I cannot explain how I feel to have it all go up in smoke literally days before I would take possession. That was my all,” he said.
“I sold my one boat and my second boat to put all my eggs in one basket. For a commercial fisherman to get to the stage where you can get to that [big-vessel] league, you have to put everything into it — every little penny.
“It’s almost impossible for a small guy to get there and now that it is within reach, right there, it is all gone.”
Sonday said he had heard rumours that certain fishing stakeholders on the West Coast opposed transformation. “It is very strange. You can draw your own conclusions. I can’t begin to understand why somebody would do that, but from what I understand it was deliberate,” he said.
Dr Fish would have been in the water weeks ago had it not been for the provincial traffic department, which insisted the boatyard’s trailer be relicensed. The traffic department official responsible did not respond to e-mail queries.
Stevens said it was also suspicious that the boat was destroyed at a time when his company was setting up a fund to help finance new entrants acquiring deep-sea vessels.
Jacobs called for an investigation in the interests of economic transformation.
“This [the fire] does seem sinister,” he said. “Part of our commitment to radical economic transformation is to change the economic concentration from being in the hands of a few into the hands of many.
“You have to have inclusive and shared growth for all our people, and the old boys’ club must make way in a meaningful and genuine way.”
Stevens said Sonday’s vessel had been 100% complete and even had diesel in its tanks.
“The diesel engine had been primed and run on numerous occasions, all pumps had been primed and operated, and we even sent the owner videos of the tuna spray system working, all control systems had been checked and calibrated,” he said.