Small-scale fish farmers set to protest

Official’s permit promise fails to impress

EASTERN Cape small-scale fishermen who were allocated a R27.3-million formal commercial wild perlemoen harvest quota in January could get their fishing permits this week, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). But the undertaking by Marine Resources Management acting chief director Asanda Njobeni was met with scepticism by the Eastern Cape forum for small-scale fish farmers.

Njobeni said miscommunication between his department and the forum, coupled with the fish farmers’ failure to fill in the application forms in time, were the reasons for the delayed distribution of the permits.

“The beneficiaries will possibly have the permits by Friday. The process took longer than envisaged. This does not mean the department went against its word,” Njobeni said.

Eastern Cape Divers and Fishers Forum (ECDFF) chairman Burt Andrews, 50, said similar previous promises made by the government were not met.

“We can no longer trust them. They made similar undertakings that we will get the permits in March but they failed to deliver.”

Andrews said the forum’s plan to hold a peaceful picket on Friday to highlight their grievances had not changed, despite the department’s promise.

On January 19, the fishermen were promised by Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana, during a visit to Port Elizabeth, that the permits would be available to collect from the DAFF offices in Richmond Hill from March 1.

On Wednesday last week, about 15 ECDFF-affiliated fishermen descended on the offices to demand answers. However, when they got there, officials locked the front door and left via the back door.

Mncedi Zakhe, 49, of the ECDFF, said the fishermen had expected to start working with their new permits from March 1 but nothing had transpired.

“When we got here [the DAFF offices], the officials locked the front door and ran away through the back door. It would appear officials in this department are not following directives from the minister.

“We want perlemoen permits. Our children are hungry,” Zakhe said.

The project, which was aimed at uplifting underprivileged communities, was recently embroiled in racial controversy, with perlemoen processors claiming that the divers were trying to poach it from those it was intended to benefit.

ECDFF member Garry Hendricks, 48, said they had decided to protest at the offices because officials had given them the run-around.

“It has been five months since the announcement was made but we still do not have the exemption permits that give us the right to fish. “We have been sent from pillar to post,” he said. In terms of the conditions of the permit, Hendricks said Zokwana had stipulated that small-scale fishermen must secure storage facilities for perlemoen, transport, a boat and diving gear, and an overseas buyer – which he said they had done.

“The department wanted everything to be in place first. We have incurred unnecessary expenses. There is no help from the department.”

Nokulunga Kizwana, 59, said the department was good at making promises but did little when it came to delivery.

“Small-scale farmers in Cape Town and Durban have got [their permits]. We are the only ones without them,” Kizwana said.

We can no longer trust them. They made similar [promises]