Member  of  Parliament, Beverley Schäfer and DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture will visit Gansbaai next week, Wednesday, 8 February 2017. 

This will be the second of three public hearings into the impact of abalone small scale fishing in the province.

Gansbaai’s meeting will take place in the Gansbaai Public Library at the Municipal Building situated in Main Road from 09:00 to 13:00.

The first meeting took place on Friday, 3 February in Saldanha Bay and the third meeting will be in Cape Town on 10 February.

Schäfer held committee meetings with community stakeholders, SAPS, SARS and the Hawks last year and it revealed how South Africa is losing the war on abalone poaching.

According to the Sunday Times, 29 January 2017, the Department of Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has allegedly awarded an irregular contract worth R60 million to sell confiscated abalone.

The contract was awarded to a company called Willjarro and has been suspended because of the irregularities.

In a press release Schäfer stated that the fact that DAFF continues its practice of selling illegally poached abalone  is  in  itself  a   problem.

She  further  stated  that   National government’s involvement in benefitting from confiscated abalone contributes to the criminalization of fishing communities along the Western Cape’s coastlines and the practice of selling illegally poached abalone must stop.

Operation Phakisa, a key focus of national government and Project Khulisa, the strategic focus of the Western Cape have identified the need to unlock economic growth along the South African coastlines. 

“Poaching we believe, is having a negative impact on this opportunity for jobs and growth in the Western Cape,”  Schäfer stated.

According to cllr Riana de Cöning, residents must realize that this meeting should not be confused as a follow-up meeting from last year’s public meetings with local residents.  This meeting is about the economical implications regarding abalone poaching.

This meeting with Schäfer is an invitation to participate in the public hearings on the impact of abalone poaching on small-scale fishing communities.

The Standing Committee on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture hopes to find solutions together with stakeholders and community members to abalone poaching, which is seen as a transnational crime and threat to national security.  All public persons and inte-rested parties are invited to submit input on this matter.

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