And the Minister of Fisheries IS....

The new Minister of Fisheries (including Agriculture and Forestry) is Mr Senzeni Zokwana. Mr Zokwana is the President of the National Union of Mineworkers and the Chairperson of the SA Communist Party.

                                Mr Senzeni Zokwana: Minister of DAFF

Mr Zokwana's deputy minister is Bheki Cele.

Mr Zokwana's will quickly learn of the major disaster that is fisheries, which he has inherited from Tina Joemat-Pettersson in the next week. Not only does he have to start with a review application setting aside the 2013 Fishing Rights Allocation Process, he has to tell South Africa's fishing industry what he plans to do about the 2015 rights allocation process, which his department is about 2 years behind schedule in its preparations - not to mention the abalone rights allocation process which is less than 65 days away! And on top of that, he has a Fisheries Branch in turmoil, wracked by infighting, allegations of corruption and maladministration, the review application against the Public Protector's "Docked Vessels" Report, which was commenced by Joemat-Pettersson, the dismal state of inshore fisheries, coastal communities in conflict and divided because of the corruption stench plaguing the interim relief processes and let us not forget about the dismal state of compliance and vessel-based research.