Beneficiaries from 4 communities
South African National Parks’ (SANParks) economic inclusion interventions are on display today through the support of small-scale fishing communities in Cape Town from Imizamo Yethu, Masiphumelele, Redhill and Hangberg.
All are communities that live adjacent to Table Mountain National Park.
The R10.8 million Marine Economy Small-Scale Fisheries Support Programme is designed to broaden economic participation and create local jobs that supports livelihoods.
It is also intended to encourage a positive and mutually beneficial relationship between people and conservation.
The programme, funded through SANParks’ Corporate Social Investment Programme, recognises that a lot of families in communities depend on the marine resources that SANParks manages for survival.
The programme addresses issues of food security, illegal fishing as well as facilitates the process of intergenerational skills transfer.
The aim is to facilitate equitable access and benefit sharing of marine resources in order to deal with food security, unemployment and inequality while promoting conservation and sustainable use.
Table Mountain National Park manager Megan Taplin and Dr Paul Mpye, Senior Manager Enterprise & Supplier Development handing over equipment
More than 370 local fishermen from communities neighbouring Table Mountain National Park will receive support through an initial R800 000 in the form of capacity building workshops on safe and sustainable fishing practices, business management as well as marketing training courses to run a business, as well as access to better fishing equipment, gear, and PPE’s.
This three-year program is executed in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Department of Public Works, the National Development Agency (NDA), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Small Enterprise Development Agency, and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEFDA), as well as WWF-SA and SANBI.