Strengthening Support for South Africa’s Small-Scale Fishers.
Over the past few years, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has allocated 15-year fishing rights to Small-Scale Fishers (SSF) across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Northern Cape. To ensure these rights translate into meaningful socio-economic benefits, DFFE developed an Integrated Development Support Strategy aimed at empowering SSF co-operatives to operate sustainable business entities and contribute to local economic growth.
As part of this initiative, a national mentorship programme was launched to provide structured support to SSF co-operatives.
The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) partnered with the International Ocean Institute of Southern Africa (IOI-SA) to design and deliver a specialised short course for SSF Mentors in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Building Knowledge and Practical Skills
The three-day training programme was designed to equip mentors with:
Importantly, the course focused on building practical skills to support co-operatives in their day-to-day operations. These included conflict management, communication, leadership, facilitation, networking and fundraising skills.
A Skills-Based, Applied Approach
The programme was delivered through three regional workshops in Lusikisiki, Cape Town and Mthatha during September 2024. The training was grounded in current sector developments and drew on the facilitators’ direct engagement with fisher leaders, co-operatives and NGOs.
The emphasis throughout was on practical, applied learning strengthening the capacity of mentors to effectively guide co-operatives through operational challenges and support the sustainable management of small-scale fishing rights.
Through initiatives like this, IOI-SA continues to contribute to building resilient coastal communities and advancing equitable, human rights-based fisheries governance in South Africa.
