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Billions believed to have been stripped from EC shorelines

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Dear Editor

Perlemoen poachers are once again ravaging the Eastern Cape shoreline, stripping the region of billions of rands worth of abalone, decimating the local marine environment and generating funds for other criminal enterprises.

For many, the issue of perlemoen poaching does not rank high in terms of concern. The highly effective Hermanus Environmental Court (ECH), established in 2003 and boasting an 80% conviction rate in its first 30 months, was shut down in 2007 as the cases were deemed “not serious.”

However, what is often overlooked is where the proceeds of this illegal enterprise end up, funding other illegal activities, from drug trafficking and human smuggling to money laundering and organised gang violence.

This connection to broader criminal networks underscores the urgent need for targeted action to dismantle these syndicates at every level.

A recent oversight with Dark Water Ops (DWO), a registered security service tasked with protecting the EC1 Phakisa Abalone Ranching Project from poaching, revealed that wet abalone worth over R41.1 million was recovered by them in 2024. This was from an 18km strip of coastline in Nelson Mandela Bay, between Cape Recife and Bushy Park.

Conservative estimates that the recovered perlemoen represents between 5 and 10% of what is taken, placing the poaching along that 18km strip of coastline at between R411 million and R823 million.

When those poaching activities are replicated along the coast, from Tsitsikamma to East London and beyond, the losses run into billions. Groups of up to 150 poachers at a time enter the water under cover of darkness, stripping the seabed of perlemoen and leaving destruction in their wake.

This is not petty crime—it is industrial-scale plunder. Over R57 million in equipment has been seized, and at least 1,537 possible poachers have been identified. Organised criminal networks control every stage of the operation, from divers on the shore to international smuggling routes feeding black-market demand.

Law enforcement is hopelessly outmatched, yet the government continues to ignore the crisis. Private anti-poaching units like DWO do what they can but are limited by their mandate to effectively disrupt syndicate operations.

Corruption within law enforcement agencies further compounds the crisis, allowing poaching networks to operate with impunity. To address this, the government must prioritise enforcement and measures like rotating staff in high-risk areas to prevent bribery and collusion.

I will write to the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Dion George, to ask that he advocate for reinstating environmental courts, including in the Eastern Cape. These specialised courts, such as the Hermanus Environmental Court, have proven their ability to combat organised environmental crime effectively.

I will also ask Minister George for a comprehensive anti-poaching strategy that includes enhanced monitoring of marine protected areas, increased funding for enforcement operations, the use of advanced technology to track and prevent poaching activities and bolster the powers of authority for operations such as Dark Water Ops to combat poaching syndicates effectively.

Additionally, I have asked the DA’s Shadow MEC for Community Safety, Yusuf Cassim MPL, to advocate for stronger policing of abalone poaching and a more effective crackdown on syndicates operating along our coastline.

This is not just about poaching—it is about stolen livelihoods, collapsing ecosystems, and communities living in fear under the shadow of syndicate intimidation.

The DA will not rest until the plunder of our natural resources is brought to an end.

Regards

Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL
DA Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature

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