[South Africa] Small Scale Fisheries Sector launches in Kwazulu Natal
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has launched the Small-Scale Fisheries Sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a total of 2184 KZN fishers have been declared as small-scale fishers in terms of Marine Living Resources Act, as part of the national rollout of the Small-Scale Fisheries sector in South Africa’s Coastal provinces in previously disadvantaged/marginalized fishing communities.
The Department has been working with the Coastal communities in setting up co-operatives, registering them with CIPC and providing extensive training in fishing and co-operative management. KwaZulu-Natal is the second province to be launched after Northern Cape Province.
The purpose of the event was for the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Honourable Senzeni Zokwana to launch the Small-scale fisheries sector in KwaZulu-Natal province by:
1). Declaring small-scale fishing co-operatives by handing over the co-operative certificates to the first twenty-nine (29) registered co-operatives with over 2000 members from communities located in the greater KZN area to be allocated 15 year fishing rights;
2). Announcing the schedule for the rights application and allocation process, and
3). Announcing some of the support programs for small-scale fishing co-operatives in partnership with the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal.