Include black people in the fishing industry: Fisheries minister Senzeni Zokwana

The fishing industry has long been an arena for white commercial companies with black fishermen excluded from participating in the industry and denied fishing permits.

Speaking at what was initially dubbed an ANC gala dinner at the Boardwalk ICC, agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, Senzeni Zokwana, said black fishermen would no longer be sidelined and excluded from the sector.

“We make no apology when we call for land to be expropriated without compensation, and as a department we make no apologies in making sure that fishing rights are given to those who may not have participated in the past.

“The time has come for our people to no longer queue for employment but to be job creators in the fishing industry,” Zokwana said.

The invitation to the event which circulated on social media was touted as an ANC Gala dinner, with Zokwana and Eastern Cape finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane the guests of honour, but Mabuyane did not attend.

There was not a single MEC in attendance.

Zokwana said he was not making the statement because it was close to elections because the ANC did not run campaigns but simply provided feedback on what had been done.

“We expect people to thank us by voting for the ANC because we have delivered for a number of terms,” Zokwana said.

The minister said they would issue fishing rights to small-scale fishers but added that the already established companies should not be jealous of the new businesses but rather embrace them and not exploit them.

“Borrow the new fishing companies your expertise and let them learn from you but grow they must,” he said.

Zokwana said the intervention government was making was painful to those companies who previously benefited.

“If fish is being caught in your area, it becomes unfair for it to be processed in another area.

"We need to change that in our policies and make sure that fish is caught here and processed here because when you take it to another province, you are killing jobs that could have been made here by doing so you’re killing the economy of this area,” Zokwana said.

HeraldLIVE understands that the proceeds from the event will be go to the ANC.