The Masifundise Development Trust was established in 1980, when they co-founded the Trust for Community Outreach and Education. Their focus was on literacy, information and educational programmes with the overall aim to end apartheid.
Once this was achieved, they prepared for a strategic shift. In 2004,
they took a decision to focus specifically on their work in the fishing communities and registered as an independent trust.
Currently they have twelve (12) staff members, who work within their three divisions:
The first post-apartheid fishing legislation did not make provision for the rights of their country’s 30 000 small-scale fishers.
By 2004, food security had dropped to a level where 35% of households were considered food insecure (Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa, 2004); school dropouts among teenagers increased because of limited parental support; communities have been split between the few who have got legal fishing rights and the majority that has been denied access to the marine resources; and up to 75% of the households live in increased poverty as the gap between the rich and poor has widened (Human Sciences Research Council, 2004).
Empowerment and community building became central pillars of their vision as they set about to pursue sustainable livelihoods for small-scale fishers.
Numerous community workshops and other engagements led to the emergence of community leaders and the establishment of a popular grassroots movement, Coastal Links.
Coastal Links is active in two of South Africa’s Coastal Provinces: the Western and Northern Cape Provinces and has established a footprint in the Eastern Cape and KZN. It has close to 2 000 members in various branches. Coastal Links tirelessly advocates for fishing rights for small-scale fishers. CL members have participated in international forums worldwide, including the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Together with Coastal Links, they have invested vast resources in lobbying and advocacy through street campaigns, media coverage, diplomatic meetings with local and national government, and a court case against the Minister for Fisheries, which led to one of their most significant victories. In 2007, the Minister for Fisheries signed an “out of court” agreement with Masifundise and Coastal Links that obliged the South African government to develop a new fisheries policy that accommodates the social and economic rights of the 30,000 South African small-scale fisher people and their families. This policy is still under development, and until it is implemented, government is obliged to provide interim fishing rights for the most destitute fisher people.
Since 2007, they have tried to forge a stronger working relationship with government departments, with mixed results. On the whole, their co-operation with the Fisheries Department has improved.
They have also played a key role in the co-management of small-scale fisheries, together with the Fisheries Department. With the implementation of the interim fishing rights, they have built a promising platform for a management system whereby Coastal Links plays a key role in forming the regulations, monitoring the fisheries, and evaluating the system. With increased focus on the empowerment of Coastal Links, they are able to facilitate the formation of a management system that leads to environmental, social and economic sustainability.
An increasingly important aspect of their work is related to international networking and cooperation. Fish stocks continue to decline at the global level as a result of overexploitation by the large-scale fishing industry. Fishing communities, particularly along the African coastlines, consequently suffer more and more from poverty and food insecurity. It is for this reason in particular that they have intensified their working in solidarity with their colleagues from other countries in order to facilitate the empowerment of fishing communities and the democratic management of fish resources.
Due to this immense and increasing important international networking, they have taken a leading role in facilitating cooperation and organising workshops at the international level. As the co-chairperson of the World Forum for Fisher People (WFFP), their director plays a key role as an active participant in international meetings on small-scale fishing, and has contributed to shaping the agenda of several international conferences. Furthermore, they have a close relationship with The International Collective in Support of Fish workers (ICSF), an international NGO that works for the establishment of equitable and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale sector.
Today, Masifundise enjoys respect and legitimacy from Coastal Links and its members, as well as from a large body of national and international organisations and institutions. We can proudly claim to be one of the leading NGOs in small-scale fisheries at the international level, and we acknowledge the obligations and responsibility that goes with this status.
