Former Miss SA International Helga Barkhuizen will be shooting a pilot episode of a six part reality TV series in Port Elizabeth next week with the Tactical Task Force - with the aim of pitching it to the likes of the BBC and National Geographic.
The TTS is contracted by a local fishing company to reintroduce abalone to the Nelson Mandela Bay coastal belt between Cape Recife and Schoenmakerskop and to protect their asset from Perlemoen Poachers.
The work of Tom Swartz and the rest of the Tactical Task Force in recent years has caught the attention of Somerset West-based Barkhuizen and her TV and Film production company 'Yes You Can motivation'.
"They are taking on something that nobody else will. Tom Swartz I met as a diving instructor and then going from that to join a Tactical Task Force to stop people poaching abalone. That is crazy. Who does that? Just leave your normal job to go and do something like that. Having followed them on Facebook and seeing the difference they are making is something that drives me as well" she said
Swartz reckons the series will benefit many organisations fighting poaching in South Africa.
"This is the problem that South Africa faces. It is a problem our coast faces and hopefully this will also be a stepping stone for other parties to not only get involved, but also expose what they are going through. If you look at Rhino poaching and ivory poaching, the more you get stuff out in the media, the more people will get involved" he said.
