My earphones are off ... [Interjections.] hon Minister, thank you very much for being in KwaZulu-Natal last week, an area where I reside, and handing over those fishing rights to the indigenous community.
Now, not even 10 nautical miles north of there, hon Minister, our community fishermen, subsistence fishermen who have been fishing for decades but there is a move to
prevent these people from fishing along this coast for no scientific reasons other than people who have had the privilege of building expensive cottages on the beach in the 80s and 60s and before 1994 I think are preventing people from coming and fishing in front of their homes.
So, will you give this House an assurance that if there is a ban on fishing or any restriction it will be based purely on scientific reasons and not on these reasons which are racially-based? Thank you.
The MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Hon Singh, my understanding is that beaches in this country can not be privatised by individual property owners. It is also my understanding that only the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries can issue fishing rights.
So, if you have particular individuals who are taking over this function from us, please supply me with their names, we will deal with them.