Environment minister Dion George says oceans could provide a R166 billion boost and 600 000 jobs. (Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
South Africa’s oceans are the country’s “blue gold”, with the potential to add billions to GDP and create hundreds of thousands of jobs — if managed sustainably, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George said this week.
“Our oceans are a national treasure,” the minister said on Thursday. “If we use them wisely, they will feed families, power industries and provide work for generations. If we waste them, we waste our future.”
The Oceans Economy Master Plan projects contributions of R166 billion to GDP and more than 600 000 jobs by 2035, George said. Aquaculture, fisheries, coastal tourism and marine conservation underpin this vision, particularly for coastal provinces with high unemployment.
George noted that Operation Phakisa — a government initiative launched in 2014 to accelerate the implementation of key national development priorities — has already propelled aquaculture forward, now accounting for most marine sector activity and employment. Over the past decade, the sector has attracted more than R4 billion in investment, with government contributions drawing in significant private capital.
Marine protected areas are boosting coastal tourism — from diving to whale watching — while ensuring biodiversity is safeguarded. Marine spatial planning is “balancing economic activity with ecological care by zoning ocean use for maximum benefit”.
Fishing harbours are being revitalised through the Fishing for Freedom campaign, with new jobs already being created in fish processing, boatbuilding and tourism. The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment is advancing an inland fisheries policy to unlock food security and rural enterprise opportunities.
“Our aquaculture facilities, our harbours and our marine protected areas are all proof that the ocean is not only heritage. It is also industry, tourism and growth,” the minister said.
He underlined that the ocean economy will only succeed with good governance innovation and community inclusion.
“With the right management, our oceans are South Africa’s blue gold,” George concluded. They are a renewable source of jobs, revenue and resilience. We are committed to unlocking this wealth for the benefit of all South Africans.”