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Government steps up plastic clean-up at Durban mangrove site

Published

Deputy Minister Narend Singh led a site assessment at the Bayhead Mangrove Heritage Site in the Port of Durban on Sunday. The visit followed a recent anti-poaching operation against illegal gillnetting at the site.

Singh is the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. He visited the site with the South African Police Service, Transnet, eThekwini Municipality and the Coastal Marine Taskforce. The assessment focused on teams from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) that clean up plastics and other pollution.

The earlier operation was led by law enforcement officers and targeted illegal gillnetting. Singh said: "Protecting our marine and coastal resources requires both decisive action against those who break the law and hands-on efforts to restore the habitats that support legitimate livelihoods and biodiversity."

Key facts

Who
Narend Singh (Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment); Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (government department conducting the clean-up effort); South African Police Service (participant in site assessment); Expanded Public Works Programme (deployed clean-up teams)
What
DEFF Deputy Minister Narend Singh, with SAPS, EPWP, Transnet, eThekwini Municipality and the Coastal Marine Taskforce, conducted a site assessment of the Bayhead mangrove site, focused on EPWP teams cleaning up plastics and pollution. The visit follows a recent law enforcement-led anti-poaching operation against illegal gillnetting.
When
25 October 2026
Where
Bayhead Mangrove Heritage Site, Port of Durban, Durban
Status
Reported

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