Fishers fear yet another ministerial change will further delay the long-overdue review of the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998, a process intended to rectify historical injustices by ensuring equitable access and fair resource allocation for the small-scale sector.

In a surprising Cabinet reshuffle on 12 November 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa removed Dr Dion George as minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, replacing him with the DA's national spokesperson, Willie Aucamp. The move followed a request from DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who cited "underperformance".

Under George's leadership, fisheries management, a critical function of the department, suffered from a glaring lack of engagement with civil society. Despite repeated calls from fishing communities and community-based organisations such as Coastal Links South Africa, which represents traditional fishers across all coastal provinces, the minister did not meet small-scale fishers or address the growing challenges in the sector.

This disengagement is unfortunate in a country where more than 60,000 people rely on fish for food, livelihoods and cultural identity. In 2024, Masifundise and Coastal Links convened the South African Fisher People's Tribunal, a milestone event that highlighted human rights violations, reflected on more than two decades of struggle and celebrated the vital role of small-scale fishers in sustaining food security and local heritage.

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Later that year, the Fisher People's Conference built on the tribunal's findings and sought to advance the recognition and protection of fisher peoples' rights....