Advocacy on key government legislation, environmental education, short courses on farming and assessing and addressing socio-economic issues are some of the key features in the looming partnership between WSU researchers and Port St John’s fishery farmers.
A partnership germinated by esteemed researchers, Dr Sylvia Nkanyuza and Dr Grace Okuthe, saw the initiation of the project in January of 2022 after a preliminary meeting with O.R Tambo Municipality’s coastal fish farmers.
“WSU strives to support key national and international development agendas as well as those of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the SA National Development Plan, Africa 2063, the White Paper on Post School Education and Training, 2013 and the Council on Higher Education guidelines and regulations,” said Nkanyuza
She added, “We are interested in working with fisherfolks with the aim of skills and knowledge transfer, overall community empowerment, and transformation in a participatory manner.”
The purpose of the meeting was to identify challenges as part of the university's efforts to address societal challenges through ‘relevant, innovative, and impactful research,’ which will lead to (SMFED).
“The fishing co-operatives are lacking guidance/directions in some of SMAFED’s core objectives and so the SMAFED team feel that WSU can bridge the gap by partnering with them as we engage in research and postgraduate mentoring in the above-mentioned thematic areas as WSU academics and researchers,” said Okuthe.
The project will feature Postgraduate students in the Faculty of Natural Science, such as PhD candidate, Bongile Bhomela and Master’s candidate Noluyolo Vundisa, who are participants in Community projects under SMAFED objectives.
“Community Engagement is one the core businesses of the University and aligns with the vision of Walter Sisulu University (WSU). So, staff as researchers are obliged to be proactive in community engagement activities and where possible infuse community engagement within both postgraduate and undergraduate teaching to generate new knowledge,” said Nkanyuza.
Okuthe added, “This partnership will also be multi- and interdisciplinary in nature; and so as stated in WSU Community engagement policy, time and effort invested in community engagement is recognised and considered as a factor in the division of labour, performance management and as a promotion criterion by Faculties and Departments.”
In the development stages of the partnership, the pair hosted a three-day Sustainable Marine & Freshwater Development (SMAFED) workshop with Port St Johns Fishery Farmers at the Mthatha Health Resource Centre in May.
Through this initiative, SMAFED in partnership with the Directorate of Research & Innovation, National Pollution Lab and Risk & Vulnerability Science Centre aim, assist and develop these farmers towards successful commercial farming for community & economic development.
“SMAFED’s steering team are in the process of drawing up a MoU with WSU and the fishing co-operatives for diagnostic and implementable projects toward bettering the livelihoods of fishing co-operatives and fishing communities,” said Nkanyuza.
Other stakeholders of this initiative include OR Tambo District Municipality, South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT), Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC), Department of Agriculture, Forestr, Fisheries (DEFF) and Port St Johns Municipality and Yakhani Corporative Limited.
By Ongezwa Sigodi
