Paralysis in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will deny livelihoods to fishing communities

The decision by Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, to freeze the awarding of all tenders in her department could have a devastating impact on poor communities reliant on the fishing industry.

Following pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) regarding the infamous R800m Sekunjalo tender, the Minister has withdrawn this tender and announced that an independent committee of inquiry will be instituted to examine all tender processes in the department. These decisions were coupled with an inexplicable general tender freeze that could paralyse strategic departmental activities. 

An investigation into one tender process cannot serve as an excuse for Fisheries to stop doing its job. 

The first casualty of the Minister's ploy is poor fishermen. The tender for the appointment of a service provider to manage and implement the small-scale fishing policy is one of those which will now be suspended. This will be disastrous for the many poor fishermen who have been waiting 18 years to enjoy participation in the industry. The frustration expressed by the Hangberg community in the last two weeks has put the spotlight on the plight of the poor who rely on the sea for their livelihoods. How long will they have to wait now? 

The second problem with the moratorium on tenders is that the December 2013 deadline for awarding five-year fishing quotas will most probably be delayed. Approximately 50 to 100 thousand people will be applying for quotas. The department will have to conduct due diligence checks and verify all the applications to make sure they are legitimate and comply with legislation. This is no mickey-mouse exercise and would have been time-consuming even without limitations on decision-making by the Department. This project is in jeopardy and will be on hold until the independent committee has investigated the allegations around the corrupt and irregular awarding of the Sekunjalo tender, the timeframes of which have not yet been communicated.

Thirdly, there is still no clarity as to who will man and maintain the state's marine patrol vessels. The current (extended) contract expires in four days. As a result, the monitoring of our fish stocks to ascertain the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) will undoubtedly also be delayed. The TAC is used to determine the next year's quota allocations. Without certainty around quota allocations, fishing businesses are not able to do operational planning - including plans for potential subcontracting to smaller players. 

The last week-long research expedition was canceled at the last minute, indicating that the operation has already come to a standstill. 

I will therefore be writing to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to request that he calls the Minister before the committee to explain how she intends to move her department out of its current paralysis.

The show must go on despite the Minister's belated attempts to ensure sound financial management in her department. The Minister should account to Parliament for her failure to manage her department as a going concern. 

Statement issued by Pieter van Dalen MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, March 27 2012

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