The Fisher Women of Doringbaai

Fisher women from Doringbaai are taking the initiative on social and environmental issues affecting their small West Coast village.

They have started an organisation called Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women to share skills and promote education about the protection of the environment.

They say most residents of Doringbaai are unemployed and rely on the ocean for survival.

Deborah De Wee, a founding member of Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women, said, “Women in Doringbaai didn’t have a voice. Women were undermined, even in the fishing industry. They were denied permits to fish. So, we wanted to bring women together to raise our voices as one,” said De Wee.

Lena Lazarus gets up early to start working in the community vegetable garden.

Residents told GroundUp that mineral and diamond mining along the coastline is a threat to the fishers’ livelihoods and the environment. They are also concerned about the environmental impact of offshore gas and oil exploration by large international fossil fuel companies.

Last year we reported on a settlement negotiated between a West Coast diamond mining company and small-scale fishing communities and environmentalists. The agreement, made an order of court in the Western Cape High Court this week, has confirmed crucial conservation areas on the West Coast. It also ensured that the specific interests of Doringbaai and Olifants River small-scale fishing communities will be addressed in a specialist study that will form part of updated environmental management programmes.

Every Wednesday, Cecilia van der Pholl and other members of the Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women prepare meals. They say there’s a hunger crisis in the community.

The women meet almost daily, hosting workshops and educating residents on how mining and gas exploration impacts their community. They also seek ways to make sustainable incomes through artwork using seashells and growing vegetables for the community.

Cecilia van der Pholl said she joined Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women to help alleviate hunger, especially among the young children, in Doringbaai. She and the other women run a soup kitchen which serves a free meal every Wednesday.

“Many homes don’t have an income and the kids are going to bed hungry. Seeing that is heartbreaking. That’s why we decided to do something. We hope to provide more meals if we get more resources,” she said.

Priscilla Arendse and Laurenchia Engelbrecht make jewellery from shells and stones found on the beach in Doringbaai to sell to tourists.

Priscilla Arendse, who helps to produce jewellery and art from beach material found for tourists, said the women’s group had given “given us a sense of strength and togetherness”.

The organisation is hoping to grow and strengthen its work on the protection of the ocean and coast.

“We live from the ocean. It’s our heartbeat. Without the ocean and the life in the ocean, our hearts will stop beating,” said De Wee.

Residents fear the ocean and beach near Doringbaai will be exploited and damaged by mining.

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