Programme Director;
Representatives of the National Prosecuting Authority;
Members of the South African Police Service;
Members of the Coastal Marine Task Force;
Officials from national, provincial and local government;
Environmental Management Inspectors, Fishery Control Officers and all enforcement practitioners present;
Good morning, and thank you for joining us in Scottburgh for this important two-day training programme.
On behalf of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, I extend a warm welcome to every prosecutor, detective, compliance official, specialist, and partner present here today.
I am particularly grateful that you have set aside two full days from your demanding operational schedules to focus on strengthening the synergy along the entire enforcement and prosecutorial chain — from initial detection and investigation, through evidence preservation and case preparation, to informed prosecutorial decisions and successful outcomes in court.
This training takes place at a critical time for KwaZulu-Natal. Recent public reports have once again highlighted the persistent illegal sale of crayfish (East Coast rock lobster) along the N2 near Hibberdene. What may seem like a simple roadside transaction is often the visible end of a longer criminal chain involving unlawful harvesting, storage, transport, and sale. These activities place unsustainable pressure on our marine resources, undermine lawful fishers, endanger enforcement officers and the public, and erode respect for the law.
The message must be unambiguous: protecting South Africa’s marine, coastal, and natural resources cannot be the responsibility of any single institution, sphere of government, or category of official. It demands a seamless, well-coordinated synergy across the entire enforcement/prosecutorial chain. Coordinated intelligence, lawful and careful investigation, properly preserved evidence, sound charge sheets, informed prosecutorial decisions, and consistent court follow-through must all function as integrated parts of a single, effective system.
We are constitutionally enjoined to do this. Section 24 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation, and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
Our collective duty is therefore to build and maintain this synergy so that we can effectively detect, investigate, prosecute, and deter transgressors — thereby securing our marine resources into perpetuity.
Public cooperation is equally vital. Demand sustains illegal trade. Every purchase of unlawfully harvested marine resources contributes to the depletion of a national asset. Visible enforcement and public education must reinforce each other.
I wish to acknowledge the outstanding work of our Fishery Control Officers, Environmental Management Inspectors, members of the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Coastal Marine Task Force, and all officials who participate in joint operations. Your willingness to work across institutional boundaries is already producing results and strengthening environmental compliance in our coastal communities.
During the period April to June 2026 alone, joint operations opened six case dockets under the Marine Living Resources Act, led to nine arrests, issued twenty-two admission-of-guilt fines totalling R42 000, and resulted in significant confiscations — including 352 linefish (valued at R176 000), East Coast Rock Lobster (valued at R31 500), and forty-seven illegal gillnets (valued at R21 150). These outcomes demonstrate the power of coordinated, intelligence-led enforcement.
Yet we must be honest: while progress has been made, challenges remain. Gillnetting continues to devastate estuaries, and complex cases involving undocumented foreign nationals add layers of difficulty. Illegal development in sensitive coastal areas such as Umgababa, forestry transgressions, and other offences all require the same integrated response across the enforcement chain.
These successes and persistent challenges alike underscore a central truth: effective environmental enforcement is not measured only by arrests and confiscations, but ultimately by successful prosecutions, appropriate sentencing, and our ability to protect resources for present and future generations. This requires every link in the chain — investigators, compliance officials, and prosecutors — to understand each other’s operational realities, evidentiary requirements, and procedural needs.
That is precisely why this training programme is so important. It is designed to deepen synergy by:
Creating a shared understanding of the applicable legal frameworks;
Clarifying respective roles and responsibilities;
Identifying and removing bottlenecks in the enforcement/prosecutorial chain;
Strengthening the quality of investigations, evidence handling, charge sheets, and prosecutions.
Over the next two days, you will cover key areas including the Marine Living Resources Act, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, the Integrated Coastal Management Act, off-road vehicle controls, municipal development enforcement, forestry legislation, mining and water-use compliance, biodiversity offences, and Marine Protected Areas. I urge you to engage actively — test the practical application of the law, discuss challenges at the scene of offences, examine what prosecutors need from investigators, and frankly identify recurring weaknesses in permits, notices, exhibits, statements, and chain of custody.
Prosecutors should leave with a clearer grasp of the realities faced by investigators and compliance officials. Investigators and compliance officers should leave with a sharper understanding of what is required to build watertight cases that succeed in court. Every participant should leave with stronger professional relationships and a commitment to faster, more effective coordination.
This synergy in enforcement must be complemented by our work on the development side. Enforcement and sustainable development are two sides of the same constitutional coin. Through the Small-Scale Fisheries Policy, we have allocated long-term fishing rights to 172 cooperatives representing approximately 10 000 fishers. We are now shifting focus towards practical support — markets, infrastructure, cold storage, processing facilities, governance, and business development — so that lawful users can thrive.
Effective enforcement protects the space for these lawful participants to succeed. When we fail to prosecute transgressors robustly, we undermine the very opportunities we are creating for coastal communities and future generations.
The certificates you will receive at the end of this programme should not merely record attendance. They should symbolise your personal commitment to applying what you have learned, to improving cooperation across the enforcement chain, and to advancing the constitutional imperative in Section 24.
Let us use these two days to learn from one another, confront weaknesses, build practical solutions, and strengthen the integrated response that our marine resources and our people deserve.
It is now my pleasure to declare this Prosecutors, SAPS Detectives and Coastal Marine Task Force Training officially open.
Thank you.
For media queries contact, Zolile Nqayi on 082 898 6438 / znqayi@dffe.gov.za
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