Mitchell’s Plain fisherwomen broke bread together during Women’s Month to connect and charter a fresh course of empowerment, inclusivity and support for one another.

Mitchell’s Plain Fishing Forum chairwoman Bridgette Oppelt said when you as a woman and your family are dependent on the sea then “you are a fisherwoman”.

“We have worked hard along our men folk and have also fought hard to make name for ourselves in the fishing industry,” she said.

Ms Oppelt said as a sector they have been hard at work empowering themselves as women to continue the work of their aged, injured, sick or deceased husbands, fathers and brothers.

“We have engaged various stakeholders, within the government, public and private entities to have some form of interim relief for fishing families.

“You have rights as you work in the cooperatives and we need to make some head way in the Western Cape small scale fishing sector as we work together,” she said.

Ms Oppelt and Moira Krige, chairwoman of both the Sonwabe Fishing and Tourism Front and South African Network of Women in Transport (SANWIT), hosted the women for lunch at her Portland home on Thursday August 15.

Ms Krige said transport was an integral part of fishing and in the maritime industry.

“Boating vehicles are needed to get the fisherfolk to sea, you need to be transported on sea to catch the fish, get it to land, transport it to shops and hotels and you need to freight it by air to export it fresh to international destinations,” she said.

She said it was crucial for women to stand together and support each other in caring for each other and their families.

On Wednesday August 21, Mitchell’s Plain Fishing Forum met with Abalobi Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) 4 Fisheries, a non-profit and public benefit organisation elevating small-scale fisheries through data and technology.

It is their vision to develop thriving, equitable, climate change resilient and sustainable small-scale fishing communities, through financial inclusion, collective social entrepreneurship and a data-driven approach to fisheries rebuilding.

Ms Oppelt said Mitchell’s Plain is a fishing community, which has immense potential in entrepreneurship and that the youth should be encouraged to support their dreams.

“Whether it is accountancy, law, science or technology, we need these expertise to develop a thriving fishing community in better understanding and exercising our rights,” she said.

Pictured at the back, in the middle, is Danny Christians, councillor for Ward 79, who has for decades called for black communities to have access to natural resources along the coast close to where they live. With him are Mitchell’s Plain fisherwomen.

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Empowering Mitchell’s Plain’s fisherwomen