The Saldanha Bay fishing harbour on the South Africa’s West Coast is to receive a multimillion-rand makeover.

Fishing group Sea Harvest, in partnership with the national government, will invest ZAR72 million to repair equipment and improve infrastructure at the harbour.

News24 reports that the project will also improve access to the harbour for small-scale fishers and local businesses, as well as enhance job security for workers.

Announcing the deal at a community imbizo in mid-May, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala said the development of the harbour would ‘ensure that the company will not retrench but employ more people’.

Sea Harvest will invest the lion’s share – ZAR48 million – while the government will stump up the rest (ZAR24 million). The repair work is expected to take up to six months.

The investment follows damage to Sea Harvest’s fleet, caused by sagging quays at the harbour.

‘We are pleased that we will be able to continue offering our employees a safe place to work, and having the peace of mind that our vessels can come safely alongside to offload the fish they harvest, while also ensuring an efficient and effective supply chain and the continued success of Sea Harvest’s contribution to the ocean’s economy and food security,’ board chairperson Fred Robertson told News24.

The repair project follows an earlier ZAR96 million investment to repair slipway infrastructure at Saldanha Bay, one of the five proclaimed fishing harbours on the West Coast.

According to the Cape Independent, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to ensure small-scale fishers in the area have access to – and benefit from – South Africa’s fishing harbours. The goal of the MoA is to ease longstanding conflicts between small fishers and commercial fishing companies over access to fishing resources and improve collaboration.

21 May 2024
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