PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT STANDING COMMITTEES VISIT WEST COAST

PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT STANDING COMMITTEES VISIT WEST COAST

The Standing Committees on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture, Human Settlements, Finance, Local Government and Transport and Public Works had a Joint Provincial Visit Week (16 – 19 May 2017) of the Service Delivery Cluster.

This Joint Visit Week was a key mechanism established by the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) to achieve its Constitutional oversight mandate within the Province. It was intended to ensure that members of the Provincial Parliament, through its Standing Committees, continuously keep abreast with developments and service delivery issues in the Province.

Furthermore, it also affords the Cluster the opportunity to undertake oversight visits and interact with communities and institutions in order to assess the needs and challenges they experience. This visit afforded the Standing Committee for Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture as part of the Service Delivery Cluster of Committees to visit one Aquaculture project, namely South Atlantic Sea Farms, implemented by Casidra in the West Coast region.

South Atlantic Sea Farms is a Phakisa approved mussel farming project situated in Saldanha Bay owned by three shareholders. The shareholding comprises E Malan (40%), A Maclachlan (33%) and L Adams (27%). Malan and Maclachlan contributed R9 463 355 which is 73% of the project value.

Adams is the Project’s BEE partner who approached the Western Cape Department of Agriculture for funding assistance in acquiring a 27% partnership in this project. Her request was referred to the Aquaculture Commodity Project Allocation Committee for consideration. The total amount of R3 520 395 which was Adams’ 27% contribution, was approved on 27 January 2016 by the Aquaculture Commodity Project Allocation Committee, after obtaining a score of 86.74%.

The project consists of longline mussel farming on 30 hectares of leased water rights, which has the potential to deliver 2000 tons of mussels per year. The longlines are anchored by means of 1.2 ton concrete blocks to the ocean floor, 30 metres under water which are then supported by floats.  Each longline is 200 metres long and hangs in 20 metre loops on which the mussels grow. 

Casidra was appointed on the 23rd of February 2016 to implement the project deliverables   with Neil Connan as the Project Manager to ensure the successful procurement/ implementation of the required items.

Casidra is proud to be associated with this project, which was successfully completed within the seven-month timeframe, and assets were handed over to the beneficiaries.

South Atlantic Sea Farms assists three additional projects (all 100% BEE), and all three are scaled to a 15 ha footprint. These are:

  • Chapman’s Aquaculture CASP Grant approved R3 million.
  • Requa CASP Grant Approved R3 million.
  • Xesibe CASP request to be submitted once the TNPA lease is secured.

 

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