CAPE TOWN- At 25-years-old, the odds are stacked against Jacquin Valentyn to find a job in an economy struggling to reverse the impact of Covid-19.
Worsened by the very limited job opportunities in his West Coast hometown of Langebaan, Valentyn has no tertiary education and is not formally trained in any skill.
He and his family agree that life in the fishing village has never been easy.
“I'm jobless at the moment, there aren’t many jobs around here. I worked on a building site before, doing roof sealing.
“I've never gone to study, I learn things on the different jobs I do,” Valentyn said.
With a StatsSA 2011 population record of 99 193 residents, and a youth unemployment rate of 30.4%, the DA-run Saldanha Bay Municipality, of which Langebaan is part of, recently came under the spotlight when it unveiled a monument to controversially mark the five-year administration of mayor, Marius Koen.
Koen was also under scrutiny recently for a qualification scandal involving the legitimacy of his MBA qualification from Hull University.
Valentyn has never voted in an election, and said he did not plan on doing so on November 1.
“For what, for what must I vote? My dad probably will vote, he voted for the ANC for many years.There’s no reason for me to vote, nothing’s changing around here.”
Life as a West Coast small-scale fisherman is just as tough, but it’s being made even tougher by red tape, corruption, and gang infiltration.
As a fourth generation fisherman in Langebaan, Ismail Slarmie, 57, said the industry was suffering from many issues which put livelihoods under threat.
He said the town does not even have a harbour, for which they have been pleading, for years.
Instead, they have to ask the Langebaan Yacht Club for their space in order to launch their boats.
The land was used by fishermen before the yacht club existed.
Slarmie said he was looking forward to the local government elections to be able to vote for the party of his choice.
“The ANC fat cats put their hands in different pies at big companies so that they can get quotas, and not us, the small-scale fisher.
“In KZN, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape, small-scale (permits) have already been implemented, but… it’s a mess.
“With us here in the Western Cape, small-scale (permits) are still not implemented. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the DA here, I really don’t know.
“Us as small-scale fishers, we don’t have quotas, we don’t have fishing rights, we don't have permits, everything is a red tape,” Slarmie said.
With five children, Slarmie is a bread-winner and is currently out on R15 000 bail for abalone poaching-related charges.
As part of his bail conditions, he may not go near the ocean.
“I have a boat that I rent out to other people, but I have to sit at home.
“I have been a fisherman for more than 30 years – my dad was one, my grandfather was one.
“This is the impact of corruption on our lives. We are forced into situations in order to survive,” Slarmie said.
Just down the road from Slarmie, Patricia Ocks, 49, does not know where her next meal will come from.
A part-time char, Ocks said she wishes every day that success will follow her children one day.
“I had no opportunities in my life. I will vote on November 1, but I’m not sure for who, just yet. Things have gotten worse here in this town for us, they are building big fancy houses there. I will decide on the day who I will vote for,” Ocks said.
Saldanha Bay Municipality communications officer, Ethne Lawrence said it was difficult to determine the current unemployment figures of the municipality.
She said the Langebaan Yacht Club has “agreed to allow local fishermen to make use of the launching site”, adding that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had to proclaim a harbour.
“The Langebaan Yacht Club rents the site from the Department of Public Works and pays an annual rental fee,” she said.
Patriotic Alliance Western Cape deputy provincial leader Sammy Claassen said fishing is the heart and soul of Langebaan, and they will continue to campaign for a fishing harbour for Langebaan.
“The Patriotic Alliance is also in support of the calls by fishermen in Langebaan for the establishment of a fishing harbour. This is a great need as fishermen have no access to any facilities where they can stow their boats.
“The yacht club is the best option for a fishing harbour. It is public works land and is the best suitable site due to its location. Historically fishermen used this site long before the yacht club existed,” Claassen said.
Cape Times