Saldanha Bay’s fishing harbour on the South Africa’s West Coast is to receive a multimillion-rand makeover.
Fishing group Sea Harvest, in partnership with the national government, will invest R72 million to repair equipment and improve infrastructure at the harbour.
News24 reports that the project will also improve access to the harbour for small-scale fishers and local businesses, as well as enhance job security for workers.
Announcing the deal at a community imbizo on Wednesday, 15 May, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala said the development of the harbour would “ensure that the company will not retrench but employ more people”.
PUBLIC WORKS SAVES 2000 JOBS
As part of our report back IMBIZO, we will visit the Saldanha Bay Harbour, where we will announce a new financial injection to upgrade the harbour and save 2000 jobs.
Since the steel and mining industries collapsed in Saldanha, the harbour remains… pic.twitter.com/ywiaxlA8ND
— Sihle Zikalala (@sziks) May 14, 2024
Sea Harvest will invest the lion’s share – R48 million – while the government will stump up the rest (R24 million). The repair work is expected to take up to six months.
The investment follows damage to Sea Harvest’s fleet, caused by sagging quays at the harbour.
“We are pleased that we will be able to continue offering our employees a safe place to work, and having the peace of mind that our vessels can come safely alongside to offload the fish they harvest, while also ensuring an efficient and effective supply chain and the continued success of Sea Harvest’s contribution to the ocean’s economy and food security,” board chairperson Fred Robertson told News24.
The repair project follows an earlier R96 million investment to repair slipway infrastructure at Saldanha Bay, one of the five proclaimed fishing harbours on the West Coast, as part of the government’s Small Harbour Programme.
According to the Cape Independent, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to ensure that small-scale fishers in the area have access to and benefit from South Africa’s fishing harbours. The goal of the MoA is to ease longstanding conflicts between small fishers and commercial fishing companies over access to fishing resources and improve collaboration.
Saldanha harbour to see to see R72m infrastructure renewal
Fishing company Sea Harvest has undertaken a large investment to enhance productivity and return Saldanha Harbour to full functionhttps://t.co/DCfDQ9uDVx
— The Cape lndependent (@CapeIndy) May 16, 2024
The wider port of Saldanha has also been the target of complaints.
Business Day reported in April that Anglo American subsidiary Kumba Iron Ore had linked a drop in its sales to challenges at the port.
Transnet, under which the port falls, is reportedly undertaking maintenance work on port equipment to address reliability issues.
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