Transformation in fishing needed
THE entire fishing community is mourning the great and tragic loss of our fishermen in the rough sea of St Francis Bay on the Eastern Cape coastline.
We are crying with those families and friends who lost their loved ones in that boat accident.
At least the families will be able to bury their members with a decent funeral rather than having to wait for the bodies that won’t be recovered forever.
The accident happened at a time when we are engaging the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to fast-track the transformation of the fishing sector by empowering the fishermen with fishing permits.
It is a very sad situation because there is no law in the fishing sector that protects them and they have no benefits whatsoever.
We have been asking the department to introduce a sea accident fund like the one for the road and rail users.
The minister needs to make a radical change by transforming the laws regarding the sea and I still can’t believe that we are being regulated by the laws from the time of apartheid.
My prayers are with the families because they lost their breadwinners, who have died trying to bring food to the table for them to survive.
My biggest worry now is who is going keep them going and make them happy.
I just hope the tragic death of our fishermen will bring a total transformation to the fishing sector and bring back sanity to the owners of boats.
May the souls of those who died rest in peace.
Mzwandile aka Pepe Nkomombini, committee member, Eastern Cape Divers and Fishers Forum