South Africa's fishing sector is most active in the Western Cape, the province. Nationally, the industry employs about 27,000 people, including fishmongers of both sexes. The fisherpeople, however, are almost all fishermen. But the tide is turning, with 150 females from the Western Cape now fishing as a commercial activity. The mild-mannered lady behind the sea change is Sahra Luyt. In 2000, she created the South African Fisherwomen’s Association (SAFWA) by rounding up a few poor women for public meetings to explain how they, too, can earn their living from the ocean—a radical concept.
Word spread and membership is 500-strong, including former street beggars and the extremely impoverished. Members of SAFWA began recruiting their friends and neighbors to join the organization and once the group was able to provide for their own families, they opened a soup kitchen to provide food for others in the community. They are now exploring community gardens and other projects that will move their neighborhoods towards greater autonomy and self-reliance.
Activities and Accomplishments
- Employing a complementary strategy of collective marketing for fisherwomen
- Lobbying the government to create a more enabling environment for small-scale fishers
- Forming contractual relationships with boat owners who provide practical training on all aspects of fishing to the association's members
- Developing ancillary industries to supplement income during the off-season
- Conducting sea-safety training courses and life-skills modules that empower the women beyond the fishing industry
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