Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members, it is the responsibility of the state to protect the land, sea and air against pollution. The state also carries the responsibility to clean up where pollution has already taken place.
A lot of taxpayers' money is spent on cleaning and rehabilitating the sea every time something goes wrong. It is therefore right that the state should have a claim against the shipowners who cause pollution. The reality, though, is that there are many other parties whose lives are disrupted by pollution.
There are people who depend on the sea for their livelihood, particularly ordinary small-scale fishermen. Their business is negatively affected during the cleaning and salvage operations. They are unable to operate or forced to operate elsewhere for weeks or even months. How will they benefit from the R3 billion referred to in the Bill? Azapo supports the Merchant Shipping (Civil Liability Convention) Bill.