The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes the release of the report into the deaths of 11 on duty fishermen who were aboard a Sea Harvest Group fishing vessel when it sank to the bottom of the sea on 17 May.
The bodies of the fishermen were never recovered, and they were presumed dead by an order of the Western Cape High Court at the end of September.
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and the top brass of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) assured COSATU at a meeting in November that the report would be released before the end of 2024. Minister Creecy also said that a Marine Court of Enquiry into the accident would be set-up to finalise the report into the accident.
COSATU keenly awaits the Marine Court of Enquiry in the first quarter of 2025 and trusts that the enquiry will clarify all the questions left unanswered by SAMSA’s report.
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (COSATU National Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zaneles@cosatu.org.za