Subsistence marine fishing in a neoliberal city: a political ecology analysis of securitization and exclusion in Durban, South Africa

Alexio Mbereko,Amanda Botes,Marc Ronald Kalina,Brij Maharaj

doi:10.2458/v26i1.23008

Abstract

In post-apartheid South Africa, the blue economy has been identified as an untapped resource for creating employment and stimulating economic growth. However, in the port city of Durban, subsistence fishing has formed an important component of both the livelihood and identity of individuals living in marginalized communities adjacent to the harbor for over a century. However, since America's 9/11 terrorist attacks a number of new international laws and regulations have shaped local legislation and policies which seek to exclude the public from accessing the harbor area. As a consequence, increased security measures have contributed to an increasingly closed off space, where increased barriers to access have effectively isolated the harbor from the surrounding city, and restricted entry to local fishers. As a result, fisherfolk have been forced to contest their exclusion from the harbor, risking expulsion or arrest to continue practicing their livelihoods. Utilizing a political ecology framework, and integrating perspectives drawn from over a decade of qualitative fieldwork, this article explores how securitization narratives operate as a tool for the neoliberal exclusion of the poor from public space. Analysis suggests that the securitization of Durban's harbor has served to bar entry to the poor towards participating in South Africa's blue economy, while allowing elites exclusive access to marine resources.Key Words: Indian Ocean, securitization, blue economy, South Africa, subsistence fishing, neoliberalism, public space

Highlights

IntroductionFishing is our right! Stop harassing fishermen! Why must poor fishermen suffer in a democratic South Africa? Do not criminalize the poor!The slogans above, depicted on placards carried at a 2007 protest organized by subsistence fishers in Durban, South Africa, point to the daily struggle these individuals face in accessing the marine fisheries that support their livelihoods
Fishing is our right! Stop harassing fishermen! Why must poor fishermen suffer in a democratic South Africa? Do not criminalize the poor!Source: Protest placards (26/09/2007)The slogans above, depicted on placards carried at a 2007 protest organized by subsistence fishers in Durban, South Africa, point to the daily struggle these individuals face in accessing the marine fisheries that support their livelihoods
We argue that securitization of public space within Durban's harbor disproportionately impacts the poor, who are less able to adapt to new circumstances, access private land, or re-negotiate access to public fishing spots, limiting the ability of subsistence fishers to contribute to South Africa's blue economy

Summary

Introduction

Fishing is our right! Stop harassing fishermen! Why must poor fishermen suffer in a democratic South Africa? Do not criminalize the poor!The slogans above, depicted on placards carried at a 2007 protest organized by subsistence fishers in Durban, South Africa, point to the daily struggle these individuals face in accessing the marine fisheries that support their livelihoods. As part of international regulations put into place since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA), the parastatal organization that serves as 'landlord' for Durban's harbor, has had to come into compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), a United Nations international agreement signed by ports all over the world after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and designed to implement global standards for safety and security (Dray 2009; RSA 2005) Consequences for violating these agreements include punitive measures designed to negatively affect South African trade and bar access to American markets (De Boer and Madlala 2008)

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