Gillnets, plastic and mudskippers: Durban Bay clean-up moves in at Bayhead
Deputy Minister Narend Singh says the Port of Durban site needs firm enforcement against illegal harvesting alongside practical restoration work, after an anti-poaching operation in the area.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has stepped up efforts to remove plastic waste and other pollution from the Bayhead Mangrove Heritage Site at the Port of Durban, sending a deputy minister and a multi-agency team to assess the work on site.
Deputy Minister Narend Singh conducted the assessment alongside members of the South African Police Service, the Expanded Public Works Programme, Transnet, eThekwini Municipality and the Coastal Marine Taskforce. The visit followed a recent law enforcement-led anti-poaching operation targeting illegal gillnetting and related activities in the area.
What the teams are there to do is concrete: deploy EPWP labour to clear plastics and other pollution that accumulate in the remnant mangrove forest, the intertidal areas and the surrounding zones. The Bayhead site is described by the department as an important remnant of the once-extensive mangrove system of Durban Bay, supporting biodiversity including aquatic birds, crabs and mudskippers inside an industrial harbour setting.
Singh put the case for doing enforcement and restoration together. “Protecting our marine and coastal resources requires both decisive action against those who break the law and hands-on efforts to restore the habitats that support legitimate livelihoods and biodiversity,” he said, adding that the collaboration between national enforcement agencies, local government, Transnet and EPWP teams shows how operations can move into tangible environmental recovery.
The department frames the initiative as part of broader efforts to combat marine pollution, strengthen compliance under the Marine Living Resources Act, and support job-creating environmental programmes in coastal communities.
The question the record does not yet answer is what the clean-up has actually achieved. The department said further details on the clean-up outcomes and ongoing monitoring will be communicated as the work progresses.
This report is drawn from SAnews (South African Government News Agency), the government’s own summary of the assessment rather than the underlying operational record: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/environment-department-advances-clean-durban-mangrove-site
