WALVIS BAY – Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernard Esau says the court application launched against his ministry and the government by three fishing companies whose horse-mackerel quotas were cut is an orchestrated attempt to hurt him politically.
The companies are Namsov Fishing Enterprises, Emeritus Fishing Limited and Atlantic Harvesters of Namibia Limited.
The minister made the remarks during an interview with New Era at Walvis Bay this week.
“Since the recently concluded Swapo electoral college, and the fact that I am 7th on the list, there have been attacks on my integrity,” he said.
“However the matter is sub judice as they have taken me to court so let the legal system take its course.”
The minister however said that he is still open for discussions.
“I want them to stop this campaign they are running. Why don’t they openly say so if they want to campaign and distribute leaflets for the DTA?” the minister charged.
Namsov is demanding that the court orders Esau to implement and take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that his decision to award the quotas (from the 2014 Total Allowable Catch) to the applicants is given immediate effect.
This urgent application was prompted by the laying off of 120 workers from Trachurus Fishing, a subsidiary of Namsov Fishing Enterprises which is the operating company of Bidfish owned by Bidvest Namibia. The workers were laid off after the company’s quota was cut about two months ago.
Although not wanting to reveal much on the saga, Esau said the initial allocation of quotas to all mid-water trawlers in the horse-mackerel industry were done on a pro-rata bases. “The second allocation in June/July to all right holders and non-right holders was done based on my request to add value to our horse-mackerel,” he said.
“The issue of horse-mackerel is that it has a different value in the sea, when landed as well as when processed in our land-based factories.
“We want the landing process here and then the canning to be done here. We don’t want to export our fish in its raw form, we want processing, packing and canning to be done in the country to add value.”
He told New Era that his request to all horse-mackerel role-players was about canning and in the process create jobs.
“Some did not deliver on my request and I released my quota allocation based on what was done by the industry and based on those who responded to my request and created new jobs.
“In fact, during my current visit I was briefed by a few companies catching and processing horse-mackerel that 1 000 new jobs were created. This is now by the companies who delivered on the ministry and government’s request to create new jobs and add value to our raw products,” Esau said.
Esau also said that a number of players have already exhausted their allocated quotas.
“Despite that, if they made any new investment or added value and can prove that they have, I would have treated them as such,” the minister charged.