Mzamba’s Journey Back to the Sea

On the edge where the Eastern Cape meets KwaZulu-Natal, a community once watched their future gather dust behind a locked gate. The Mzamba Small-Scale Fishing Cooperative had poured their hopes into a boat, a vessel meant to carry their livelihoods across the water. But red tape and permit delays brought everything to a standstill. The boat sat idle in a private yard, racking up R40,000 in fees. It painted a bleak picture of a dream slowly drowning on dry land.

When the ECDC stepped in to assist a co-op that desperately needed rescuing, it wasn’t just to pay off a bill, it was to untie the knots that had kept an entire community from moving forward. With the debt cleared, the boat was freed. It now rests safely at the Wild Coast Sun, ready for the sea.

Today, with permits secured and 12 years left on their fishing rights, the co-op stands tall. They’re preparing to catch over 16 types of fish, meet market demand, and create more than 50 jobs. Families who once faced uncertainty are now rebuilding their lives through the ocean’s abundance economy.