By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment confirmed the arrest of nine suspects, who attempted to illegally harvest marine resources in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area.
In the first incident on Tuesday night (7 April 2026), two rubber ducks carrying suspects approached the Robben Island Marine Protected Area.
DFFE officials responded immediately.
According to a statement, to evade arrest, the suspects rammed their vessel into a departmental vessel, causing damage to both vessels.
Two suspects were apprehended and handed over to Table Bay SAPS for processing.
The rubber duck used in the incident was recovered with the assistance of employees of the South African National Parks (SANParks) and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
In the second incident on Thursday, (9 April 2026), officials were again alerted to the presence of two rubber ducks approaching the Robben Island Marine Protected Area.
A joint response by DFFE and SANParks resulted in the successful interception and arrest of seven suspects during the early hours of Friday.
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, has confirmed that the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) initiated these arrests during two separate incidents involving attempts to illegally harvest marine resources.
“I want to send a stern warning to poaching syndicates, that the senseless and untethered poaching and plundering of our natural resources will come to an end, whether they like it or not,” said Aucamp. “We will continue to fight until we win the fight against poaching.”
The Minister has urged all stakeholders, including citizens and community leadership, to join the fight by remaining vigilant and supporting ongoing efforts to combat the illegal exploitation of our marine resources.