your chirps

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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

I write to you about the proposal of the MPA in Algoa Bay, in response to Dr Ane Oosthuizen, who worked so hard towards shutting down the livelihoods of about 3,000 commercial squid anglers directly and their families indirectly as far as income is concerned. Also to the pilchard boats that work the area.

I don’t know how many jobs are going to be lost there, as I do not have the stats. If you would be so kind as to give the public that information please, Dr Oosthuizen?

As far as I know penguins don’t feed on sardines in the wild, they eat anchovies, which are not targeted by sardine trawlers. When you say protecting the different whales and sea birds, what are you protecting them from?

Who are you protecting them from? As far as I know, there’s no whaling permitted in SA, nobody hunts gannets and penguins.

So please let us know who or what is the threat towards these beautiful creatures? Funny thing is there are whale watching permits and shark cage diving permits available in a MPA – really?

So you’re allowed to move your boat up to the whales now and you are allowed to chum for sharks in a MPA now – really?

Also there’s talk of fish farming off the Sundays River mouth, in a MPA – really? So you are allowed to create income in a MPA now, except if you’re a commercial fisherman, of course.

Also it’s a known fact that fish farming offshore is a big no-no because of the pollution from the fish feed settling on the ocean floor, which in turn I believe would be pushed into the Sundays River estuary. But you don’t mention that, which was discussed at the meeting in the town hall.

I really have a problem with the way you say you have communicated with commercial fisherman, divers and others. Please tell me who you so comprehensively consoled with?

I was at that meeting at the town hall about two years ago when the proposal first came to the public’s ears and eyes. I never saw you or anyone consoling anybody, you just shot your plan and that was it.

When questions were asked, the speaker said we had run out of time, but we could email our questions to some government department. Which we did and obviously never received a response – well I never received a response anyway.

The real beef I have is about the rock and surf zones which you want to close off to anglers. When the driving on the beach ban was implemented, anglers were hamstrung to the areas which we could fish, because we had to walk and carry our tackle.

But yet conservation vehicles travel on the beaches regularly, so their vehicles are different to mine?

Then we as anglers were restricted on the catches we were allowed to catch, that is five cob, etc. Great, I’m all for that, then we were restricted to one cob per person per day.

Also, I’m happy with that, because it’s difficult to carry more than one fish and there’s a lot of meat on a decent-sized fish. So who needs more?

Now all of a sudden the cob and steenbras population is dwindling because of overfishing, huh? Really, you only allowed one per angler.

How can a rock and surf angler be decimating the cob population? Please tell me. Who can catch so many fish that it’s threatening the survival of the species? Surely not an angler standing on a beach, with a single bait in the water.

With all the restrictions in place and the permit that anglers have to have, can you give us the stats on anglers who have been convicted of catching more than their daily allowance in the Sundays River mouth area, for the last 10 years? I would really like to know.

I think you are just sucking information out of your thumb. The real problem is that you can’t even police your own restrictions, now you just want to ban angling there.

How can you hold me accountable for your inability to control what you propose?

Abalone poaching has got nothing to do with angling. So why am I, as a law-abiding citizen, getting punished?

LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN, AND AVID ROCK AND

SURF ANGLER

RESTAURANT RAPE CASE

The SA criminal justice system is disappointing. The latest developments in The Dros rape case are shocking. The court deciding on sending a man who has not been convicted or sentenced [for psychiatric observation] leaves a lot to be desired.

This decision by the judge suggests that the accused is guilty. How do you send a person for psychiatric evaluation unless you have already made a conclusion?

Is the judge trying to tell us that the accused is guilty until proven innocent? I was shocked that this decision was taken, and I wondered if the accused has a lawyer and if he even challenged the decision.

Rape is a crime. Rape of a minor is a heinous crime, but the direction that this case is going is unfair on the accused. We can’t let emotions dictate the outcome of a judicial process.

SAMKELO

The defence agreed with the prosecution that the accused should be sent for psychiatric evaluation. – The editor

Restaurant rapist: why not mention his name? I’d have great pleasure in chopping those long fingers off, he won’t fiddle again.

EX-SADF, MARK

The media cannot legally publish the name of an accused in a rape case until he has pleaded to the charges. – The editor

REPLIES TO READERS’ COMMENTS

“What about lighter plastics?” (October 29): Polystyrene and styrofoam can go to Vistarus. They chop it up, melt it and make blocks to be used in other ways.

HILARY “NMB app useful” (November 2): does Des U realise not all have the luxury of this facility? AR

BOKS GO DOWN TO ENGLAND

Oh shame, our Bokke are getting soft. Crybabies. For years we had players like Bakkies Botha and co head-butting opposition into a coma and in their defence it was called a man’s game. Now a little tackle/charge gets deemed dangerous? Man up Bokke, if you can dish it out, learn to take it as well.

ROB

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus could be over-planning and strategising all matches to the point where players’ natural instinct and abilities in changing conditions on match day are curtailed and suppressed. This leads to a focus on plans and players’ inability to adapt on match day.

I predict that he will revert to using older and experienced players like all his predecessors. He must show the courage of his conviction to try new and exciting younger players, black and white.

AURICK SWARTBOOI

Damian de Allende at fullback? Telford Vice, stick to cricket. Actually rather not even that.

ALF HICKS, GREENACRES, PORT ELIZABETH

SMME OWNERS PROTEST

Well well, SMMEs want their share. What about white-owned contractors having to give 10 to 20% start every time we tender against them for government work?

OBSERVER

EXPLANATION NEEDED

Saturday’s power outage in large parts of PE cost the businesses and households millions. Let’s hear a transparent explanation from the municipality as to what the cause of the failure was and the reason it took so long to repair.

NIGEL VENTER, OVERBAAKENS, PORT ELIZABETH

SHOOTINGS ALL OVER PE

Sad about the shooting in Booysen Park. Really getting bad all over PE. A person is too scared to even walk to the shop! FAITH

WHY PASS CLOSED FOR SO LONG?

Can anyone explain why the Bloukrans Pass has been closed for so many years now?

GORDON UPTON

HEARD NOTHING FROM POLICE

Does the law in Kirkwood police station apply to certain individuals, especially who doesn’t reside there? In April, I opened a case of robbery of my two cellphones and wallet, and the offenders are known. I have heard nothing from the police.

MR MAQWILI, MOTHERWELL, PORT ELIZABETH