Abalone Poaching

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Lisbeth
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Re: Abalone Poaching

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Perly kingpin Morne Blignault's ex-wife jailed for 12 years

No lenient sentences for poaching – judge


BY DEVON KOEN - 30 March 2019


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Marshelle Blignault, 42, will go to jail for 12 years for her part in the poaching enterprise
Image: Devon Koen


Bitter tears flowed in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Friday when the former wife of convicted racketeering and perlemoen-poaching kingpin Morne Blignault received a hefty 12-year prison sentence for her role in the illegal enterprise created by her and her ex-husband.

Marshelle Blignault, 42, along with four others, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to a number of charges, among them racketeering and contravening the Marine Living Resources Act.

Blignault’s co-accused – Jacob “Japie” Naumann, 34, Frederick “Frikkie” Nance, 24, Petrus “Pietie” Smith, 31 and Willie Nance, 56, who all pleaded guilty and were convicted on various charges – received sentences ranging from five to 12 years, while Nance Snr received an option of a R20,000 fine or 18 months in prison.

Nance Snr was convicted on two charges of contravening the act after he was caught assisting his son, Frederick, with transporting processed perlemoen from a farm outside Port Elizabeth where the Blignaults’ enterprise conducted its illegal operations. Passing down sentence on Friday, judge Mandela Makaula said he had taken into consideration the role each of the accused had played in the enterprise.

“The sentences imposed should reflect this,” Makaula said.

Blignault’s former husband Morne, 47 , initially pleaded not guilty to the various charges he faced but after his co-accused entered guilty pleas he did an about-turn and pleaded guilty.

His trial was then separated from the others.

He was convicted on charges of racketeering and contravening the act and received a 20-year sentence.

During the trial an intricate web of underhanded illegal activities were laid bare, showing how the Blignaults managed and ran the illegal poaching enterprise, which saw hundreds of tons of perlemoen worth millions of rands poached from along the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline.

The poached perlemoen was processed, handled, cooked, packaged and transported from the Oliphantskop farm near Addo, which was procured by Naumann.

Surveillance cameras were installed at and near the farm after police were informed of the suspected illegal operations by the farm’s owner.

On Friday, Makaula said it was evident that the seriousness of the offences and the possibility of a lengthy jail term did not deter the Blignaults and their co-accused from continuing their illegal activities.

“[Perlemoen] poaching continues unabated. The time has arrived for the reassessment of sentencing options,” Makaula said.

In considering each of the accused’s personal circumstances and probation officers’ reports submitted to court, Makaula said “the stage had been reached” for more severe sentences to be imposed.

Makaula found that Marshelle Blignault had “benefited immensely” from her part in the illegal enterprise and her sentence should reflect such.

Blignault received a 12-year prison sentence for racketeering while Naumann received two 12-year sentences for racketeering as well as one four-year sentence and two three-year sentences for contravening the act. All his sentences will run concurrently.

Nance Jnr and Smit received various sentences for racketeering and contravening the act, ranging from three to five years each.

All their sentences will run concurrently with the five-year sentence.

Nance Snr was given the option of a R20,000 fine or 18 months in prison. Advocate Johan van der Spuy for Nance Snr requested that his client be given until April 3 to pay the fine, which Makaula allowed.


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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^Q^


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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Alleged abalone drying plant bust in Cape Town suburb


2019-04-17 22:36
Jenni Evans


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Cape Town police discovered an abalone drying facility less than 200m away from one of Table View's busiest shopping strips on Wednesday, spokesperson FC Van Wyk said.

Police spotted a silver Mercedes Benz pulling up in front of the house at around noon, and its occupants started unloading black bags and carrying them into the residence in Circle Road.

The immediate area, just off Blaauberg Road, is usually bustling with shoppers going to the nearby late-night supermarket and take-away shops and there is bumper to bumper traffic during peak hours.

The police went to take a closer look and found an allegedly illegal abalone drying facility.

They found the tell-tale gas cylinders, burners, fans, shelves and scales used in the parallel market for the expensive sea snails.

Two of the rooms were fully equipped as drying rooms and even the lounge was taken up with cardboard boxes of dried abalone, known as perlemoen locally.

Five people aged between 20 and 33, were arrested on charges relating to the Living Marine Resources Act and will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, April 23.

The government usually auctions off confiscated abalone, keeping a percentage of the profit.


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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Minister ups abalone quota, says legal fishers can't be punished for work of poachers

Apr 05 2019 13:01 Fin24

Minister of Agriculture Senzeni Zokwana announced on Friday that he would almost double the total allowable catch for abalone for the 2018/19 season from what the department had previously determined.

He also said the department would relook at decisions that implied it was punishing legal abalone rights holders by cutting their catch due to "increased poaching by those operating outside of the law".

This comes after the total allowable catch, or TAC, for the 2018/19 fishing season was lowered to 50.5 tons from 96 tons in the previous season.

The decision to lower the TAC was appealed by abalone commercial rights holders, who said it was too small.

Zokwana said the total allowable catch for the season would again be upped to 96 tons.

The minister, in a statement, said the department must reassess how TAC is calculated in light of the fact that about 95% of abalone "leaves our waters taken by poachers".

This leaves the department managing only about 5% of abalone that is legally caught.

Zokwana said the department’s scientific methodology may need to be revisited, especially around how it balances quotas with the the economic effects on abalone fishers.


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Re: Abalone Poaching

Post by RogerFraser »

:-? not sure what to make of the statement - was the initial allowed amount a punishment or based on some scientific study that set the limit based on a sustainable principal . If it was set on a sustainable study then it should not be raised but remain and they should then crack down on extra hard on poachers by raising fines and setting minimum jail terms as they are the problem.It is unfortunate for the legal entities they are caught on the downside of the plundering of the resource but again highlights how through inaction and inability the government is unable to monitor and control the trade in a scarce natural resource :no: :no:


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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It is to get votes for the election. Same thing happened just before the last elections... O** :O^

Quite a few questionable fisheries political decisions here: viewforum.php?f=304


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Re: Abalone Poaching

Post by Lisbeth »

I remember that the crayfish quota was reduced if they have not done the same there. It's different though because you cannot dry those, luckily O**


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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The Minister opposed the reduction of the crayfish quotas... O**


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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I remember that too, but did they change it? I don't think so -O-


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Re: Abalone Poaching

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No, it was the Western Cape! ;-)


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