New owner says illegal fishing is under control at Jetty 3
Illegal fishing with nets and the illegal launching of boats remains a problem at the Tzaneen Dam but the owner of Jetty 3 is pleased to say that their perseverance is paying off with 90% of the netting problem solved.
Born and raised in Modjadji, Thabo Ramopai is the man in charge of the facilities at Jetty 3 at the Tzaneen Dam. He lived in Pretoria from 1996 to 2015 and operated boat rentals at Hartebeespoort Dam. “My love for the water emanates from there,” explains Ramopai. In an interview with the Herald Ramopai explains that although they monitor the Tzaneen Dam and check for illegal nets daily, the “stubborn 10%’ of the illegal fishing problem remains”.
“On October 12 we bought a patrol boat to make apprehending people netting in the Tzaneen Dam easier. We do costly daily patrols and drone patrols to fight netting,” says Ramopai. Over the last couple of months, they have removed hundreds and hundreds of meters of nets from the dam during these patrols.
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Ramopai estimates that in the last year about 22 illegal fishermen were caught and arrested in operations led by Jetty 3, the Tzaneen Community Policing Forum, the Department of Forestry, and the Department of Water and Sanitation through close cooperation with landowners around the dam. “This has solved 90% of the netting problem in the Tzaneen Dam but it seems like the problem is increasing at other dams in the area, including Ebenezer Dam, Nandoni Dam, and other dams in Letsitele,” says Ramopai.
The boats confiscated from illegal fishermen will be repurposed to help other dams in the district to prevent illegal netting. The second phase of his development at Jetty 3 will include a lapa that can accommodate 500 people. “We made sure to get in sound professionals to assist with soundproofing and to make sure that residents of Aqua Park would not be disturbed by noise when this development is complete.
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The sound will travel towards the water and the area for the lapa is already cleared and prepared,” says Ramopai. For Tzaneen’s bank anglers, there is good news since it only costs R30 to legally fish off the bank at Jetty 3, and Ramopai and his team keep beloved fishing spots clear of vegetation and tidy for the public. Ramopai is also excited to announce that 25 camping sites should be ready to book by the first or second week of December. For more information contact him at 076 970 1100.
