The Hook

22 October 2014

1 in 4 Campaign – 13 million South Africans suffer hunger daily

Close to 200 farmworkers, fisher representatives and activists participated in a rally and march this past weekend, to highlight the scandals of poverty and hunger.

The rally heard that 13 million South Africans, 1 in 4 people, suffered daily hunger in a country that produced enough food for all.

The events took place on 18 October to mark World Food Day that was observed on 16 October in many countries around the world. Held under the banner of the United Nations, the theme of World Food Day focused on Family Farming, but also encompassed other sectors.

The Cape Town programme was organised by Women on Farms and other organisations in support of the 1 in 4 campaign.

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The rally aimed to create awareness about the devastating effects of poverty, food insecurity and women evictions on farms. Masifundise staff together with seven CLSA women from Mamre and Buffeljagsbaai represented the fisherfolk in the rally.

“We as women, whether working on the land or at sea, need to come together and exchange information. You might find that though we are in different industries, we all face food security related issues,” Sarah Niemand, a CLSA member from Buffelagsbaai commented.

“As women we need to be resourceful and find alternative ways of survival. Not all of us can fish and not all of us can be farmers, but together we can find other ways to make a living and help our communities survive,” added Hilda April from Mamre.

The march was preceded by a three hour programme at the Community House in Salt River. The programme saw a number of women from different organisations like the Rural Women’s Assembly, Oxfam in South Africa, Surplus Peoples Project, Tshintsha Amakhaya and other rural women social movements presenting about the challenges they face on farms.

In an invitation statement by Women on farms, the organisation said “ It is an outrage that 30 million, or one in four go hungry despite the fact that the country produces enough food and that we all have a constitutional right to feed. Clearly it is not the availability of food that is the problem but rather access to food”.

The march commenced from Kiezersgracht street in Cape Town and ended off at Parliament, with the handing over of  a memorandum to the Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Land Reform and Social Development. The three ministers were not available and representative from the departments received the memorandums on their behalf.

For more background information on 1 in 4, go to the following link:

https://sites.google.com/site/tshintshaintranet/1-in-4

Landmark MPA case in Eastern Cape

A landmark case that could influence the zoning and management of Marine Protected Areas in the country is scheduled for 28 November in the Mthatha High Court.

The Legal Resources Centre, representing small-scale fishers in the Dwesa and Cwebe areas in the Eastern Cape, will ask the Fisheries Minister to set aside the decision taken in 2000 in terms of the MLRA to make Dwesa-Cwebe a no-take MPA.

The fishers want partial access to the MPA in terms of their customary rights and based on the understanding that environmental protection and sustainable use of marine resources are vital for livelihoods.

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The case has been launched on the grounds that there was no consultation with the communities when the MPA was declared and that to date the departments have failed to respond to the communities’ repeated request for access to marine resources in terms of the Settlement Agreement which they signed in 2001. They have also failed to set up co-management arrangements and this was also part of the Settlement Agreement. The fishers argue that they have customary rights to marine resources.

LRC launched the review in 2013 on behalf of various parties including David Gongqose, his co -accused and the Hobeni Fishing community.

The No Take Zone clause is now located in the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA).

Here follows a link to a previous story in 4 December 2013 Weekly Update: Dwesa Cwebe – Restore Customary Rights to people

http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f8c8f5a4e34012192af68734e&id=f6fd7d4cde&e=6106b42b32

 

Threat to Small-Scale Fishing in Saldanha – by BCC News

Saldanha Bay is one of the oldest fishing communities in South Africa, but could economic expansion and industrialisation be the death of Small-scale fishers in this community? Watch this video by a BCC reporter.

Link to article and video clip:  http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29569322

 

South African representatives in Turin for Slow Fish gathering

Representatives of Masifundise and Coastal Links South Africa are in Turin, Italy this week for what is described as the largest international conference of small-scale producers in the world.

Coastal Links SA member Rowina Marthinus from Arniston will join three Masifundise staff members – Director Naseegh Jaffer, researcher Leila Emdon and programme officer Carsten Pedersen at the gathering, which is called Terra Madre.

Read More here: http://www.slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/news/dettaglio_news.lasso?-idn=138

 

“Conspiracy” to sell India’s fisheries

Fishermen’s associations in India are protesting against an expert committee’s recommendation for a revision of the guidelines for deep-sea fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone, saying it is “part of a conspiracy to sell India’s fisheries resources to big foreign and domestic companies”.

 

T Peter, secretary of the National Fishworkers’ Forum asks whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed “Blue Revolution” could be at the cost of livelihoods for tens of thousands of Indian fishermen and their families”, according to the

Read More: http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/deep-distrust/article6496928.ece#test

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