Madam Deputy Speaker, the poaching of abalone as well as our other natural resources is a very serious problem that we are faced with. If we do not put a stop to this unscrupulous practice and bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book, including the syndicates that purchase these illegal gains from the poachers, then we will be faced with a situation in which our natural resources will get depleted at a very fast pace.
We were very encouraged by the arrest of two men earlier this week in Bruma, Johannesburg, for smuggling abalone worth R1,2 million. We do understand that there are many obstacles and hurdles that the environmental as well as other authorities have to overcome in their fight against poaching, including limited resources. We therefore congratulate them for the progress and the arrests that they have made thus far and for theie dedication to stop poaching. We do, however, believe that efforts to put a stop to this illegal practice have to be stepped up and additional resources need to be allocated to the fight against poaching, if we are to save our natural resources. I thank you.