Marine and Coastal Managment - MCM Divided

With the whole hike on license fees MCM - Marine and Coastal Management will have some explaining to do. On top of that MCM are also trying to sort out who runs them. Or should I say the governmental departments are fighting over who runs MCM.

I cant help but wonder if all these price hikes have something to do with this split in the departments and MCM? All I can say is it just sounds like the mess that is MCM is ...looks like it is only going to get worse. Best of all its going to cost us a whole whack more!
Typical government pay more for less!

See the article published in the Times:

Marine division a government mistake
Feb 4, 2010 11:25 PM | By LAUREN COHEN

Marine scientists, fishermen and trade union Nehawu claim the government is crippling the fishing industry by proposing to divide fisheries functions between two departments.
Current Font Size:

    quote Zuma's new proposal for fisheries functions slammed quote

During his government restructure last year, President Jacob Zuma incorporated the fisheries functions into the newly created Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Daff), moving it from the control of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Last week, Razeena Omar, acting deputy director-general of marine and coastal management, which falls under the DEA, called a meeting with Nehawu representatives to inform them that a final proclamation was about to be signed by Zuma detailing a further split in research and coastal management functions.

The union has condemned the public declaration, saying certain senior officials had driven the process to create "fiefdoms" for individual officials.

In terms of the proclamation, conservation and environmental functions will be separated from fisheries functions - a move which Rhodes University ichthyology professor Peter Britz said would be "impractical and hugely damaging to the government's ability to administer the Marine Living Resources Act".

"It is a turf war between two departments as to who has a mandate," Britz told The Times.

In a letter to Daff minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Britz said it was impossible to split MCM without damaging service delivery. "The organisation should be ring-fenced and moved entirely to Daff."

Shaheen Moolla, director of marine regulatory law company Feike, said the split had caused confusion as to who was really in charge of fisheries.

The ANC Overberg Interim Fishing Desk members also wrote to Zuma this week urging him not to sign the proclamation. Zuma has visited the poor fishing community twice to hear their requests for fishing to fall under one minister and one department.

Presidential spokesman Zizi Kodwa said Zuma was "aware of the concerns raised by different interest groups". 

 It is surprising these fools get anything done!

Coatesman