Coastal Links NEC completes PE meeting
The last CLSA National Executive Committee meeting was held in Port Elizabeth on the 28 and 29 of October 2013. Issues on the agenda included the upcoming Interim Relief dispensation in the Western and Northern Cape, the revised package for the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal and the work program for the remaining two months “Getting Communities ready for Policy Implementation” were also discussed.
Parliamentary submissions
Members of CLSA and MDT made submissions to parliament on Wednesday 16 October, in support of the Marine Living Resources Amendment Bill. Representatives of and from small-scale fishing communities, including Naseegh Jaffer, MDT director submitted their comments to the Portfolio Committee of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. You can find copies of the submission by clicking on the following link:
Communication
MDT presentations to the parliamentary portfolio committee on the MLRA Amendment Bill were covered in various newspapers and on radio stations in the past week. Mcebisi Kraai was interviewed on Voice of the Cape and Mandla Gqamlana on Bush Radio on Friday 18 October 2013.
A letter by Naseegh Jaffer titled “Marine bill could be game-changer for small-scale fishermen” was published in the Cape Times On Monday 28 October, and another article appeared in Die Sondag Son on 20 October. Click on the links to read the articles.
https://www.masifundise.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sondog-Son-Article-20-October.pdf
A Visit from the SSNC
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) will visit some of their partners and will visit MDT on November 25, 2013. The visit will deal with all aspects of our partnership including financial management, challenges, opportunities and expectation of MDT and SSNC. The SSNC has been a partner with MDT since 2010 and we value their support and confidence in our work.
MDT and CLSA present at UNDP conference in Gauteng.
Neville Luyt (CLSA Steenberg’s Cove) and Josh Cox (Masifundise) travelled to Johannesburg on Thursday 24 October for a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) experience-sharing conference on “MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCE ENDOWMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFRICAN AGENDA 2063”.
The workshop was attended by delegates from Nepad, the African Union, academics, and civil society organisations. CLSA was just one of two community groups represented. Neville and Josh delivered a joint presentation, sharing the South African experience from the perspective of fishers and highlighting important principles to guide the management of fisheries resources. The presentations stimulated some interesting questions and discussions. A final report is being prepared by the UNDP which will clarify how these inputs will be used going forward.
Langebaan Campaign
On Thursday 31 October, Langebaan Netfishers together with representatives from MDT will be interviewed on Radio 786 between 5pm and 6pm, on 100.4 FM.
The discussion will centre around the current issue in Langebaan where fisher people from the area have been restricted from fishing in a certain area (Zone B) and how this restriction has impacted on their ability to earn a sustainable living.
It is likely that representatives of DAFF, SANParks and the Western Cape National Park Board (WCNPB) will also be interviewed, to give their viewpoints.
Moegsien Ismail will be assisting Masifundise with a media campaign aimed at highlighting the Langebaan issue. He can be contacted through our offices.