 EDITORIAL COMMENT — by Dave Rorke
IT was only a matter of time before someone in government cottoned on to the fact that the recreational angling community in South Africa, in all its forms — fisherman to spearo and crayfisher, even the marine aquarium owner — was ripe for the picking and an ideal source for further redistribution of wealth.
Excuse my cynicism, but I can’t help but think that someone has to pay for the excesses of those luminaries who hold the reins in the Department of Environmental Affairs, Minister Buyelwa Sonjica and her deputy, Rejoice Mabudafhasi. As reported in my editorial comment in the previous issue, both have acquired new transport which has cost the taxpayer R1.7-million. Of course, we mustn’t forget MCM Director General Monde Mayekiso’s absurd dream of acquiring a new R1.3-billion polar research ship to go with the Sarah Baartman — a “purpose-built fishery and environmental protection vessel” — which MCM can’t afford to run anyway, so they’ve hired her out to PetroSA at Mossel Bay.
As things stand at MCM at present, very little research into our fisheries is being conducted, probably because they haven’t got the personnel to do it, and one wonders indeed if any research projects have been undertaken in the past year or two. After all, that’s what the Marine Living Resources Fund (where our fishing “permit” fees end up) was set up for — to finance resource management and research.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Everybody probably knows by now that Minister Buyelwa Sonjica has announced in the government gazette hefty increases in all recreational fishing permit fees. For most it’s an increase of between 300% and 600%. And judging from the mail we’ve received, recreational fishermen are angry — very angry!
Sonjica, in her wisdom, has decided that the recreational angling permit fee across the board — from the shore or at sea — will increase from R62 p.a. to R200 p.a., while those amongst us who own boats will now have to pay an additional R500 p.a., instead of R79 p.a. payable last year. Cast-net fees rise from R79 p.a. to R300 p.a., as do those for spearfishing, prospecting for mud crabs and molluscs, and for owning a marine aquarium.
No one would object to paying these fees if we knew that the money ended up at its intended destination and was appropriately spent.
However — and there’s that cynic in me once again — how can we have faith in an organisation, MCM, which last year was in the red to the tune of R45-million, and could not even pay its telephone and electricity bills? At the same time, all its senior scientists had abandoned ship, as had the former Deputy Director General/Chief Director of Fisheries and Coastal Management, Horst Kleinschmidt, and Shaheen Moolla, former head of MCM’s Fisheries Monitoring, Control and Surveillance.
Ironically, when Horst Kleinschmidt was in charge, the Sarah Baartman was fully operational and MCM was never in the red. Something stinks, and it’s not fish!
There’s a dark cloud hanging over the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and MCM. Quite simply, the fishermen of South Africa have lost faith in their ability to properly manage our marine resources, indeed in their ability to manage anything properly, finances included. One cannot but wonder where Minister Sonjica’s heart lies. A year ago, as Minister of Minerals and Energy Affairs, she was fighting for the right to mine the Wild Coast. Now she reckons she’s “enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to illegal and unsustainable exploitation of resources”. Yeah, right. Raising recreational fishing fees by up to 600% should do the trick. Minister, I have zero faith in you.
Add your objection to the permit increases by writing to revenue@deat.gov.za.
Happy reading and good catches.
FRANCOIS ERASMUS
IT was with great sadness that we at SKI-BOAT Magazine heard of the tragic passing of Francois Erasmus in a light aircraft accident on 18th December 2009. Francois was a very good friend of ours, and working with him as the tournament director of the Mercury OET Bill-and Gamefish Tournament was a great pleasure. That posting brought to the fore his attention to detail and amazing organisational abilities. He will be sorely missed.
Our thoughts and prayers are with wife Antoinette, and our hope is that you will not be lost to the sport of deep sea angling, with which you have become so involved too.
Dave Rorke
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