Merit must be paramount if growth is the goal – IRR

Forcing merit to take the backseat in favour of demographic considerations in managing South Africa’s fishing industry raises a barrier to broader growth and sustainability in the sector.

So says the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in its submission to the Ministry of Fisheries, Forestry, and Environment on the draft policy on the allocation and management of rights to operate fish processing establishments and the draft policy for the transfer of commercial fishing rights published under the Marine Living Resources Act.

The IRR recommends that the Minister clarifies the policy’s priorities. If transformation objectives take precedence, the draft should explicitly state this. However, if the goal is to promote economic growth, ecological sustainability, and job creation, merit must be the primary consideration, and demographic factors should not influence decisions.

The IRR says that most notable among its concerns is the inherent contradiction in the emphasis on demographic criteria over merit. This emphasis is evident in, for example, clause 10.1.4, which refers to "whether the transfer will maintain or improve the transformation profile (colour, race, gender, disability and age, etc) of the affected fishing sector, and/or the degree to which the percentage of TAC [total allowable catch] and/or TAE [total allowable effort] is held by historically disadvantaged persons".

Says IRR Researcher Anlu Keeve: “The draft policy claims to prioritise fairness and equal treatment, yet its transformation criteria effectively impose a double standard. By forcing merit to take the backseat, barriers to broader growth and sustainability in the sector are created.”

In its submission, the IRR also questions the constitutionality of the transformation provisions. The reliance on “transformation profiles” conflicts with the constitutional value of non-racialism and imposes racial targets that cannot be met without perpetuating apartheid-era classifications.

The IRR remains committed to advocating for policies that uphold the constitutional principle of non-racialism and promote economic growth in all aspects of the economy.

Read the full submission here

Media contacts: Anlu Keeve, IRR researcher Tel: 071 929 9516 Email: anlu@irr.org.za

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za