MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A group of fishers from Mossel Bay have handed over a memorandum to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), seeking clarity about restrictions to the traditional fishing spots they have frequented for decades, as well as to advocate for maintaining equal and reasonable access for the public to Mossel Bay’s broader coastal areas.

In the memorandum, which was initially submitted to the Mossel Bay Municipality, which then forwarded the document to the GRDM in terms of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act 24 of 2008 (ICMA), the fishers list their reasons as to why this matter is of great importance to them and on what they are specifically seeking clarity.

Some of these reasons included historical restrictions to the fishing spots they frequently visit, stemming from laws under apartheid - the majority of the fishers are Coloured and primarily fish for their livelihoods as well as for enjoyment - and the concern that Mossel Bay’s broader coastline will no longer be accessible to all members of the public, and will instead become available only to certain people, residing within or around estates and other private properties.

However, their more pressing concern is not only whether particular fishing spots remain accessible, but also how the access system is administered and which authority is responsible for resolving specific problems.

Although the group has managed to fish at other more easily accessible spots, the issue of prohibited access at certain locations is one they feel strongly about, “as it is about equitable access”, said Henry Fredericks, a representative of the group.

He told Mossel Bay Advertiser support for the memorandum has steadily grown as more people realise this issue is about far more than fishing. “It is about fairness, human dignity, equality and good governance.

It is about ensuring that public coastal areas remain truly accessible to the public. Our coastline is one of South Africa’s most valuable public assets. It must never become a place accessible only to certain people,” he says.

The group has called for an urgent investigation into the matter by the relevant authorities, as well as clarity on the status of these fishing areas, access routes and the respective responsibilities of the different spheres of government involved in the matter.

Engagement with the GRDM

Fredericks says this issue has been ongoing for more than 20 years. 

The group has chosen to engage with the relevant authorities through co-operation instead of confrontation in order to find sustainable solutions to the issue, but they feel it is time to move away from discussion and begin implementing some of these solutions.

In December 2024, the GRDM hosted a coastal access task team awareness and training workshop under its coastal management programme, involving government departments, municipalities, community representatives and the fishers. 

The event tackled equal coastal access conflicts, wide-scale access restrictions and safety education for local fishers and communities. The coastal access task team was formed in response to complaints about restricted coastal access.

However, the fishers feel that the question of which authority is meant to assume responsibility for coastal access remains unclear.

 Fredericks also claims that “communication effectively fell silent” since the workshop in 2024, and that it was unclear if the task team was still functioning.

The GDRM responds

In response to a query sent by the Advertiser on 20 July, Dr Nina Viljoen, head of environmental management within the GRDM, confirmed the fishers’ memorandum had been received from the Mossel Bay Municipality, and that an investigation into their concerns was under way.

Viljoen explained that the communication from the municipality enquired about the progress with an ongoing coastal access audit; however, the audit falls within the mandate of the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development 

Planning (DEA&DP) in terms of the Coastal Management Directive, and not the GRDM.

In its latest communication sent to the fishers on 6 August, and seen by the Advertiser, the GRDM confirmed that the task team was still operational. 

It also stated that current legislation was unclear on the mandate of coastal access, adding that local and district municipalities, provincial and national government and other stakeholders were all involved in addressing coastal access concerns, and that these authorities all participated in the task team.

This was also confirmed in Viljoen’s correspondence with the Advertiser, which stated that “a response regarding the coastal access audit will therefore be communicated to the Mossel Bay fishers’ representative in due course, but because multiple authorities are involved in the coastal access function, an informed response will need to be provided.”

The GRDM says the task team leading the investigation should therefore be regarded as the first point of entry for coastal access concerns, and matters should be referred to it through the district municipality or the environmental management department of the relevant local municipality.

It further stated that a generic draft agreement that might be used between the district and local municipalities has been prepared, but acknowledges that the different roles and responsibilities relating to coastal access remain unclear under the current legislation.

Additionally, as part of the ongoing investigation, the task team will look at all locations of concern along Mossel Bay’s coastline. 

“We will, however, need to consult with the Mossel Bay fishers to identify all the locations of concern so that we can investigate these areas accordingly. We will therefore be in consultation with the Mossel Bay fishers regarding this/include them on the task team,” said Viljoen.

She added that the GRDM will also respond to the enquiries and concerns the fishers raised in the memorandum, but has acknowledged a delay in the district municipality’s investigation due to the fishers’ concerns passing between several authorities, as well as a recent hospitalisation of one of the authorities handling the matter. 

“The GRDM therefore apologises for the delay in providing a response to the Mossel Bay fishers,” said Viljoen.

At this stage in its investigation, the GRDM says the review of the Coastal Management Programme is still in progress, but the comments and responses report is completed.

The next step would be consideration of the final draft for adoption by the district and local municipal councils, followed by publication in the Government Gazette as required. 

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