Chair and hon members, this Bill seeks to open a new chapter for the previously disadvantaged communities living along our coastline, whilst not excluding those who are interested in the business of fishing inland.
The fishing industry provides a means by which people can change their lives for the better. However, when apartheid laws were applied, the communities living in the areas along the coasts were forcefully removed, leaving behind what they considered as their golden treasure, which was the ability to engage in fishing - the community members supported their families through fishing. Although it was not big business for them, they never struggled to put food on the table because of the easy access they had to the sea.
Through this Bill emerging fishermen have the opportunity to gain licences from the department for their small businesses. This will liberate those who have been roped in by commercial fishing companies as shareholders, but who have not been empowered with the skills to run a business. Despite being labeled shareholders, they are treated as mere employees, being used to front for the sake of BEE scores.
We should not allow the denuding of our scarce marine resources by unscrupulous pirate operators. This is something we all agree on, but legislation must be crafted in such a way that we do not have small subsistence fishermen, for whom fishing is not only a source of food or protein for their families, but also a source of income for them, put at a disadvantage.
This Bill deserves the support of all parties who believe in the principle that all people shall share in the natural resources of our land. I regard this Bill as one that will emancipate those communities who rely on fishing as their main source of generating income. The IFP will support this Bill. [Applause.]