Fishermen meet over blocked access to sea

Video

GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - Small-scale fishermen from the George area are gathered at the Rosemoor Community Hall in George today (Saturday, 17 September) for an information meeting regarding the draft Garden Route Coastal Management Programme.

The interest in the meeting emanates from fishermen who are at their wits' end because of their access to the shoreline and traditional angling spots being restricted as a result of development where property owners block their right of way through or nearby private properties.

The purpose of the programme is to inform the fishermen of how the draft Garden Route Coastal Management Programme makes provision for access to public beaches and the shoreline.

The document has been reviewed and updated by the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and is now available for public input. The deadline for submissions is Friday 23 September.

The comments from the attendees at today's meeting will be summarised under the guidance of a consultant, Henry Fredericks, for submission to the GRDM during next week.

According to Amor Louw, a local angler, many incidents of fishermen's thoroughfare being blocked have been reported by members of two large angling groups, Young and Extreme Fishing and Plein en Simpel Visvang. Fishermen are in some cases falsely accused of vandalism, theft and littering.

In the meeting, it was said that there have even been incidents of property owners shooting at fishermen.

Angler Bennie Barlow said the thoroughfares to the shore have been used for generations. "We have right of way, but our hands are tied. All option we have is to try our luck and hope that we can get through. In some cases fishermen rather choose dangerous alternative paths."

They fish for own consumption and in many households, the fish is an important source of food.

According to the draft CMP, one of the core focuses of the GRDM is to ensure equitable access while also seeing to it that access is regulated and does not negatively impact on the coastal environment.

Public coastal access land at appropriate locations along the length of the Garden Route coastline has been formally designated in accordance with the Integrated Coastal Management Act (ICMA).

VIDEO - Fishermen meet over blocked access to sea (Video: Alida de Beer).

"The district identified and formalised all public access points along the length of its coastline, and ensured that the points are appropriately distributed to facilitate public access for all," reads the CMP.

Marillia Veldkornet, a communications officer of GRDM, confirmed that people accessing the coastal zone have historically been dealt with unfairly.

"There are currently large tracts of private land through which the public are unable to cross, or even not approach, along the seashore. This has resulted in restrictions to access to the coast and its resources in conflict with the South African Constitution, in addition to being in conflict with the ICMA."

She says affected groups are typically subsistence and recreational fishers, recreational users and tourists.

Municipal jurisdiction 'blurred'

"The Western Cape Coastal Access Strategy and Plan of 2017 indicated that coastal access designation and management are most appropriately dealt with on a municipal level given the complex and diverse nature of the coast on a local scale.

The ICMA blurs the responsibility of district and local municipalities. According to the Western Cape Coastal Access Strategy and Plan, the ICMA must be read in relation to the constitution. As such it must be viewed that the district plays the oversight role, and in line with the constitutional mandates, local municipalities should designate and manage coastal access land."

In response to a query from the newspaper, George Municipality referred complainants to submit their comments on the Coastal Management Programme to the GRDM.

The municipality said the Planning Department had not received any correspondence of fishermen's complaints regarding restricted access.

This is not true, according to Blanch Benjamin, chairperson of the Gwaiing Action Group that is supporting the fishermen in their plight. She said there has been communication with an official, but this person has in the meantime been transferred between departments.

Benjamin said they are trying to arrange for a visit to the various access points and paths together with George Municipality. This must take place before they can finalise the anglers’ comments on the CMP.

The question remains: Which municipality will be tackling the enforcement of the legislation pertaining to the public’s right to coastal access - and when and how will this be done?

The fishermen met at Rosemoor Community Hall. Photos: Alida de Beer