President Cyril Ramaphosa's Cabinet reshuffle on 12 November 2025 replaced Dr Dion George with Willie Aucamp as minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment. Small-scale fishers worry this change will delay a crucial review of the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998. Under George's tenure, communities faced disengagement despite ongoing calls for dialogue on sector challenges.
The reshuffle followed a request from DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who cited underperformance by George. Fisheries management under George was marked by a lack of engagement with civil society, including repeated calls from fishing communities and organisations like Coastal Links South Africa, which represents traditional fishers across coastal provinces. The minister did not meet small-scale fishers or address sector challenges, despite invitations to key events.
In 2024, Masifundise and Coastal Links convened the South African Fisher People’s Tribunal, a milestone that highlighted human rights violations, reflected on over two decades of struggle, and celebrated small-scale fishers' role in food security and heritage. Later that year, the Fisher People’s Conference advanced recognition of fisher rights, but George declined to participate, opting for silence over dialogue. This alienated communities where more than 60,000 people rely on fish for food, livelihoods, and cultural identity.
Fishers face interconnected threats, including poor implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Policy, which fails to uphold human rights, recognise customary rights, and imposes a business-oriented model undermining traditional structures. Extractive developments like offshore oil and gas explorations have led to lost fishing grounds and degraded habitats. Fortress conservation practices exclude communities from traditional waters, often criminalising customary rights, while climate disasters, such as the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods, expose vulnerabilities like contaminated coastal waters.
The Tribunal, held early in George's tenure, offered a chance for inclusive governance, but was ignored. Fishers now fear further delays in reviewing the 1998 Marine Living Resources Act, aimed at rectifying historical injustices through equitable access. They demand genuine co-management, community control, and accountability. The reshuffle highlights the need for leaders with sector knowledge and willingness to engage, prioritising human rights over commercial interests.
Nobathembu Ndzengu and Jordan Volmink, from Masifundise Development Trust, emphasise that fishers seek to be seen, heard, and respected as custodians of South Africa's waters.