Freedom Front Plus MPL in the Western Cape, Peter Marais, has called for the navy to be deployed to coastal towns in the Overstrand-region to curb abalone poaching.
This follows an announcement by the province’s Police Ombudsman, Johan Brand, that abalone worth R40 million was poached in areas such as Kleinmond and Gansbaai this financial year.
Brand presented his annual report to the Standing Committee on Community Safety on Thursday.
Marais says the navy’s deployment will help to address the problem.
” If we can send in the army into Mannenberg, we should send the navy into Hermanus. We have navy and patrol boats, they will stop them. Why do we rely on police to catch poachers. If this law and order ministry can’t protect people’s lives, why should they care about fish, they don’t care about fish or crayfish if they they can’t even have enough police to protect citizens.”
