Friday, 23 August 2002
The Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar initiated the Fishing Safety Indaba, which involves Government, the public and various fishing industry representatives, to address the recent spate of fishing vessel accidents. This follows in the wake of the Fishing Vessel Safety Conference held in March 2001 in Cape Town, to address the similar problem. The recent incidents indicate that the situation has not improved and that it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) organised the Indaba, which is held on Friday, 23 August 2002 in Cape Town. The theme of the Indaba is 'the adequacy of national fishing vessel safety effort and the initiative by SAMSA to address and identify the shortcomings'. The safety awareness in the fishing industry, coupled with a review to address perceived shortcomings in current legislation will be raised. The root cause of the recent fishing vessel accidents will also be the subject of earnest debate, as well as other relevant problems regarding the investigation of labour-related issues, which affect the working conditions. This will ultimately give rise to the improvement of safety and work conditions aboard fishing vessels and serve to uplift the status of fishers generally.
This Indaba intends to be one of a series of events that will be held under the auspices of SAMSA, together with local fishing communities and the industry leaders at the various fishing centres around the country.