Dear Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries,

Let me start by commending on the work you've done thus far. I'm a young self-driven community builder that is running a 100% black youth-owned organization (Buncwane Rural Developments) based in Mnquma LM (Kei Farm) with a primary objective of identifying & facilitation rural economic initiatives that yields to empower rural communities within the Amathole Coastal Municipalities by promoting rural entrepreneurship through use of the natural resources that nature has presented to us.

One of the opportunities we identified as the sector that proves to potentially yield local economic growth is the Aquaculture & Commercial Fishing industry. We 1st started our research on Abalone as the most premium fish species that is in abundance in our wildcoast shores that with no doubt can emerge us in the export markets. As a labour-intensive initiative, it's aims to eliviate unemployment & poverty in communities whilst introducing a new sector in the valuechain of the area. We are now in the process of applying for rights to engage on Marine Aquaculture on a locally declared ADZ.

Earlier last year, we furthered our interest in the oceans economy and started a research on deepsea species that are available within the Wild Coast which are needed by both local & international markets. We decided to trackdown former commercial fishermen that have been out on our seas back in the days just to get a feel of what species are there & at which spots in the coastal belt (info that not even the DEFF has for Eastern Cape).

The data we got was indeed intriguing to an extent that we didn't waste time, we did our skippers course and got the licences. These gentlemen are even willing to pass their knowledge & years of training to us so that we can better equip our rural communities that we'll be working with in this much anticipated endeavour.

We have compiled our business case and submitted to the relevant provincial government departments for assistance with positive feedback. The only predicament we have is getting relevant licences & permits to start working - it has been a hussle.

What can you do to assist us SMMEs that are working with rural communities in order to get these licences and permits??