The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have not responded to a memorandum outlining a list of grievances from the Western and Northern Cape small-scale fishers.
In November 2014, more than 100 small-scale fishers from about 20 coastal towns in the Western Cape delivered a memorandum with a list of grievances to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The memorandum handed to DAFF officials by the leaders of Coastal Links was a stance by the fishers to request the department not to ignore the many lives affected by the constant mismanagement of the Interim Relief system.
“Permits have been issued late, bona-fide fishers have been removed from lists and replaced by non-fishers and general mismanagement by the department caused much conflict in the communities,” CLSA stated in the memorandum.
The fishers listed six grievances in their memorandum. In the meeting that took place, undertakings were made by the department but there have been no outcomes.
Till today fishers from Arniston have not received their permits and fishers in the Northern Cape received their permits late when they could not even catch lobster due to weather conditions.
Which leaves the fishers with a question, when will their grievances be dealt with, and will the towns that got their permits late and those that have not received their permits be compensated?