Growing up in the quiet rural village of Mthwalume, near Port Edward, on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the ocean was always close by – close to our homes, hearts and our way of life. The ocean wasn’t just a place to swim or fish, it was the heartbeat of the community.

People from all walks of life would visit our shores – surfers chasing waves, fishers hosting catch-and-release competitions, children splashing in shallows. Life was simple, rhythmic and deeply connected to nature.

School holidays and weekends meant fishing trips with my father or at home with mom in the garden, growing vegetables we’d sometimes sell to the neighbours. From that love for nature, whether land or sea – we lived from it, we lived with it and through it – I learned to care deeply about the world around me, and it grew stronger each day.  

That love grew into a career. I started as a coastal monitor and data collector for the Amagagasoshintsho Development Project under the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. I worked closely with the subsistence fishers and recreational fishers along the KZN coast.  

Being in a male-dominated space wasn’t unfamiliar; it was home.  

Luckily for me, I knew the coastline well. I knew the people and I knew their stories.  

In October 2023, I jumped at an opportunity and was excited to join WWF as a community liaison officer, working with coastal communities in KZN. I found myself doing more than collecting data.  

In my new role, I am helping to build bridges between people and policy, between communities and conservation. Through modern technology and governance structures, I assist in connecting indigenous knowledge to policymakers. As a community liaison officer, I work alongside many small-scale fishers from St Lucia in the north to Port Edward in the south.

Small-scale fishers are not just workers of the sea; they are its guardians. They don’t just fish, they steward the ocean. Using traditional, often ancestral methods, they don’t just fish for today’s meal but ensure tomorrow’s oceans still thrive. They fish but they also protect, they harvest and heal. They use simple harvesting methods such as hand collection of the East Coast rock lobster. Additionally, they fish sustainably in accordance with their government-issued permits, which allow them to collect only eight lobsters per day, a limit that most of them strictly follow. But their way of life is under threat.  

I love listening to the stories of the fishers. One that always stays with me is from Mr Mbambo. He is a well-known leader of a small-scale fishing cooperative in Port Edward. I remember when he told me: “Our fishing grounds are no longer what they used to be. Over-harvesting and poaching have increased due to lack of access to markets, and we didn’t have a platform to share our concerns.” 

This isn’t just his experience but a shared struggle for small-scale fishers around the world.  

Mr Mbambo didn’t stop at this challenge. He is one of many small-scale fishers embracing sustainable fishing practices. And this is where WWF comes in. 

My role with WWF is to work alongside the fishers to understand their concerns and help connect them to practical digital tools and decision-making bodies where they can contribute to sustainable fishing outcomes. 

After the 2022 launch of a four-year Sustainable Blue Economy project, Mr Mbambo started attending WWF’s sustainable fishing workshops and cooperative training sessions. He became a change maker in his own right, able to engage in inclusive decision-making through roundtable discussions hosted by local stakeholders, with the hope that these efforts will lead to policy changes at the national level. 

Before WWF came along, they had nowhere to raise their concerns, it was every person for themself.

Since the small-scale fishing rights were granted by the environment minister, Barbara Creecy, in 2019, many of our coastal communities were left navigating unfamiliar waters with little support. This was especially so for previously marginalised individuals who were new to the business world and had to establish fishing cooperatives as a prerequisite for permit conditions. 

That’s where WWF stepped in to empower fishers to be included in decision-making about the very marine resources they rely on. This ranged from training on capacity building and policy advocacy to workshops and tools to support more formal market access, resource management and inclusive governance.  

In the words of Mr Mbambo in one of our meetings: “Our voices are slowly becoming heard.” 

In April 2024, we launched a local forum for all fishers – the KZN Small-scale Fisheries Forum. In just one year, we have successfully brought together eight cooperatives, government representatives, NGOs, law enforcement, traditional authorities and civil society. They all participated in the regular forum meetings.  

One of the key challenges raised was the lack of governance structures within cooperatives. In response, and through engagement in the forum, WWF partnered with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) to provide a two-day training workshop on cooperative governance. A total of 40 small-scale fishers attended the training, leading to one cooperative independently applying for SEDA funding in 2025. 

Additionally, the forum has become a space where disputes between stakeholders can be addressed constructively. With a stable and functional structure now in place, WWF and its partners are working collaboratively to tackle policy issues affecting both government and communities. The goal is to ensure the inclusive and sustainable management of resources while supporting the livelihoods of small-scale fishers.

There is a saying that I love: when we take care of the ocean, the ocean takes care of us. All these small-scale fishers need is the right support, the right tools and to be able to continue doing what they always do.  

By standing with our fishers, we protect not only their livelihood but a way of life that has shaped our coastal communities for generations. Together we can ensure their legacy lives on, support what matters and ensure their stories, knowledge and livelihoods endure.   

As a community liaison officer working closely with small-scale fishers, I feel a deep personal connection to the work I do. Coming from a family of five siblings, fishing has always been more than a livelihood for us. It is part of who we are.  

I still remember going to sea at dawn with my father, feeling the sea breeze and hearing stories passed down from generations before us. Now, as a parent, I want my child to grow up with the same respect and love for the ocean and for the people whose lives depend on it.