Eastern Cape fishing rights leader shot dead outside his Gqeberha home

• Eastern Cape Black Fishers’ Association chairperson Xola Ngcangca has been murdered.
• He was shot dead outside his home on Wednesday night.
• The association fights for better working conditions in the fishing industry.

An advocate for fishers’ rights and champion of better working conditions for small-scale fishers has been shot and killed outside his home.

Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has expressed shock after the murder of Eastern Cape Black Fishers’ Association chairperson Xola Ngcangca.

Ngcangca was killed at his KwaDwesi home in Gqeberha on Wednesday night

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said that gunshots had been heard in Mkwenkwe Street around 19:15.

She said:

The motive for the shooting was unknown, added Naidu, and the killer was still at large.

The Eastern Cape Black Fishers’ Association was formed in 2017, with the aim of negotiating better working conditions for fishers, divers, factory workers, and sellers of fried fish in townships.

Under Ngcangca's leadership, the association was involved in the development of knowledge and skills among small-scale fishers, traders and processors, and focused on improving the standards in the mini-industry.

Creecy said the murder of a man who had worked to improve the lives of small-scale fishers was a shock to everyone in the fishing community. 

"Mr Ngcangca was committed to the transformation of the fishing sector and fought for the protection of the rights of fishers at all levels. contribution to a sector that has the potential to contribute to job creation and economic growth in communities along South Africa’s vast coastline is to be commended, and will be sorely missed," she added. 

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