Claims of widespread corruption in fisheries department

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat Pieterson, says there are some people who are trying to destabilise her department.

She told reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday that poaching syndicates had penetrated her department, corrupting some officials.

Joemat Peterson said a preliminary investigation had revealed that there is corruption within the fisheries branch of the department, and that some officials may be implicated.

She said there was also corruption "in the allocation of quotas, permits, transfer of rights and preferential treatment given to certain businesses".