Following the deep concern expressed by the community of Oranjeville against illegal fishing around their area, a joint operation team comprised of SAPS including Crime Intelligence, Home Affairs and DESTEA Biodiversity Enforcement and compliance conducted intelligence driven investigation and the team discovered that there were illegal immigrants fishing with nets and transporting the catch to Gauteng.
Free State DESTEA Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Thabo Meeko welcomes the arrest of six role players and associates dealing with illegal fishing at Vaal dam and the surrounding areas.
The modus operandi of these criminals includes putting out long nets in both dams of Oranjeville during the night and taking the fish out in the morning.
“We applaud the joint team for acting swiftly on the matter. This is a clear demonstration of criminals intending to reverse government initiatives that seek to work collaboratively to revitalize and restore the economy of the Free State” MEC said.
Since the beginning of the integrated deployment of the said team to combat biodiversity and immigration crimes around Oranjeville, six suspects have been arrested.
Furthermore, the MEC appreciated how the community of Oranjeville stood up and reported the crime. He explained that it is crucial for community members to protect their infrastructure and resources by reporting any crime activity to law enforcement agencies.
In South Africa, wildlife crime has been declared a priority offense as it results in losses of millions to the province.
“We call upon the court to meter out a harsh sentence to any illegal fishing criminals in order to deter potential perpetrators from committing similar offenses,” MEC concluded.