ABALONE AND AUCAMP: THE PLOT SICKENS

PUBLIC STATEMENT

13th December 2025

On the 18^th November the EMS Foundation made a statement, The Axing of Minister Dion George – The Democratic Alliance Shows Its True Colours, where we said that Minister George’s sacking raises urgent questions:

• Will Aucamp withdraw the state’s appeal in the rhino-horn case?
• Will the lion-bone export quota be restored?
• Will the captive lion industry gain new life?
• Will trophy-hunting quotas be rushed through?
• Will animal-wellbeing protections be gutted?

What we failed to ask was: will South Africa’s crucial Abalone Proposal, aimed at protecting endangered abalone from the illegal wildlife trade by uplisting dried abalone onto the CITES Appendix II listing (Prop.39), be mysteriously and without warning, withdrawn at the CITES COP20 meeting less than two weeks after Dr Dion George was abruptly removed?

But withdrawn it has been by the South African delegation, leaving CITES Parties and conservationists concerned and flabbergasted. No other Proposal was withdrawn at COP20 that we can find record of. Moreover the Abalone Proposal, as with the other Proposals made by South Africa, had gone through a mandatory public consultation process in South Africa. 

Despite South Africa being represented at CITES CoP20 in Samarkand in Uzbekistan by a bloated, and presumably costly delegation (one of the largest if not the largest delegation at COP20), including, oddly enough, DFFE Deputy Minister Narend Signh (and presumably his entourage) no public explanation for the sudden reversal has been provided, leaving conservationists and other nations stunned and puzzled about the decision. 

Even more baffling, Thobile Zulu-Molobi, spokesperson for DFFE told the media that reasons for the withdrawal would be given once there were more clarity on certain issues. In our view what it could well be pointing to is more evidence that George’s removal was not simply a cabinet reshuffle but a political execution with a purpose and South Africa’s wild life are already paying the price. 

In the same vein, we expect the trophy hunting quotas to be announced in the next few days, making the current litigation against the Minister moot and presumably saving the wildlife industry plenty of money in legal fees in the process.  

Withdrawing a Proposal at the COP is not an easy process, and unlike previous instances where countries have withdrawn species proposals at CITES COPs, South Africa provided no public statement or explanation to fellow delegates despite the fact that Deputy Minister Singh was at the CoP20 conference. Indeed, the question must be asked – why did newly appointed Minister Aucamp send Deputy Minister Singh to the CITES COP20?  There were 184 countries and the European Union represented, Deputy Minister Singh was one of only a handful of  government Ministers to attend the conference. Was it to negotiate the withdrawal of the Proposal?  No wonder this has left the conservation community speculating about what political or economic pressures may have influenced this controversial decision.  

Dr Dion George the former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has issued a statement expressing the belief that he was fired as Environment Minister because of his stand against illicit wildlife trafficking. “During my tenure as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, I learned firsthand that illicit wildlife trafficking is never just about wildlife.  It is one node in a sprawling criminal ecosystem that moves drugs, weapons, people, and illicit finance through the same routes by the same violent networks.” 

Dr George’s strong stance against abalone poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking may have been a contributing factor to internal political conflict that led to his removal. Abalone are large marine snails (genus Haliotis) part of the mollusc family, with soft bodies and a large muscular foot, which they use to cling to rocks in coastal waters of the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa. Abalone is also known as perlemoen, a name derived from the Dutch word paarlemoer meaning “mother-of-pearl” referring to the iridescent lining of its flattened ear shaped shell. 

This species faces severe threats of extinction because it is highly prized as a symbol of luxury, an edible delicacy in China, Japan and Korea. For this reason the 2025/2026 abalone Total Allowable Catch (TAC) was set at 12.01 tons, based on irrefutable scientific evidence of stock collapse.  This decision complied with Section 2 and 14 of the South African Marine Living Resource Act (MLRA) and the 2018 Western Cape High Court ruling mandating sustainable management recovery of “depleted stocks”. “This precautionary reduction is not taken lightly” said, Dr George. “It reflects our legal and moral duty to act on the best scientific advice and also to prevent the complete collapse of this resource.”

Abalone fishing rights reverted to the State in 2014, the sector has been managed through annual exemptions to support former right holders and supposedly to prevent a complete shutdown of the fishery.  These exemptions were intended to cushion the economic and social impact while a new rights allocation process was being developed. While these temporary measures helped cushion economic shocks, they also coincided with the rise of organised criminal networksthat turned abalone into a high-value commodity in the illegal wildlife trade.

Dr George emphasized the importance of balancing livelihoods with conservation. He instructed the Department to review the current management framework and explore ways to formalise and strengthen regulation in the sector, ensuring that both the sustainability of the resource and the wellbeing of coastal communities were protected.  “I am deeply aware of the socio-economic realities facing fishers in the abalone sector.  However, we must also confront the fragile state of the abalone resource, which has suffered from years of overfishing and illegal harvesting.  Its recovery demands a science-based and responsible approach.”

Appeals were submitted to DFFE from aggrieved parties who were not issued an exemption for the 2024/2025 fishing season under section 81 of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act No.18 of 1998).  These appeals were processed in terms of section 80 of the MLA and associated Regulations. The Ministry said that many of the appeals were dismissed after a rigorous verification process found that several application had breached conditions of their previous permits. To this end Dr George  announced that he had finalized his determination of approximately a backlog of 150 appeals in the abalone sector at the beginning of November 2025. 

Dr George’s goal was to create a system that lasts, with clear guidelines that support both the environment and communities.  He promised a process that is open and fair, with input from stakeholders to shape the change which would involve better monitoring, tougher penalties for poaching, and support for sustainable fishing methods.

The proposed uplisting of the South African abalone (Haliotis midae) to Appendix II the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to at CoP20 held in Samarkand in Uzbekistan at the end of November and the fist week of December, by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment was vitally important for combating the massive illegal trade driven by organised crime. “We will move to specifically list dried abalone on Appendix II poaching syndicates thrive on the illegal international trade in dried abalone, and this listing will close critical loopholes in global enforcement.” said Dr George. 

Abalone (Haliotis midae) is the only commercially traded South African Haliotis species and is endemic to South Africa.  Historically the highest densities of this abalone species occurred along the south-western coastline between Cape Hangklip and Quoin Point and at Bird Island off the coast of the Eastern Cape.  Since the early 1990s poaching of this species has taken place on a massive scale.  A consequence has been a rapid decline in average size and densities of individuals throughout the species range.  

Most of the illegal trade is in a dried form of abalone, this trade according to the proposal document is not simply a “top-down” management failure that has resulted in depletion of wild stocks from one of South Africa’s most valuable marine sources.  

The illegal trade also involves a variety of criminal activities.  There is significant and well-documented connection where illegally poached South African dried abalone is trade for drugs, primarily crystal methamphetamine and its chemical precursors, by organised crime syndicates. These include barter for drugs that has migrated from Mandrax in the early 1990s to methamphetamine and now cocaine, illegal transactions and money laundering.  This has devastated the social fabric of many coastal communities in South Africa.

Wild abalone populations have plummeted by 90% across their range, with areas such as Betty’s Bay Marine Protected Area reduced to a mere 1% of their pristine levels.  Illegal harvests exceed 2000 tonnes annually more than 50 times the legal Total allowable catch driven by organised crime syndicates that dry and smuggle abalone into international markets.  

The report, Abalones at risk: A global Red List assessment of Haliotis in a changing climate, assessed the current status and extinction risk of all 54 abalone species globally using the IUCN Red List criteria, to provide data in support of conservation measures for those species at the greatest risk of extinction over the short to medium term, and to inform climate smart restoration planning and action.

Dr Dion George published an opinion piece in the Daily Maverick in September 2025 in which he stated that his mandate was to protect South Africa’s extraordinary biodiversity while fostering sustainable industries that drive economic growth and job creation.  He believes that the South African abalone Halotis midae, is a cornerstone of this balance, a marine resource that sustains coastal communities and fuels a vibrant aquaculture sector.

The abalone species faces an existential threat from rampant poaching and the illegal trade, endangering the wild populations and the livelihoods tied to them.  To combat this, DFFE proposed the listing of dried Abalone H.midae specimens on Appendix II of the CITES.   This proposal was carefully crafted to address this crisis without burdening legitimate operations.  It targeted only dried abalone, the primary form in the illegal trade, while explicitly excluding live, frozen and canned products the backbone of South Africa’s aquaculture exports. 

Analysis released by TRAFFIC, a global network working to ensure trade in wild animals and plants is legal and sustainable, ahead of the CITES conference estimated that about 67% of abalone exported from South Africa since 2000 was illegally harvested.  An estimated 4000 metric tons of the shellfish were poached in 2024.  TRAFFIC stressed that any CITES listing would complement internal steps to tackle the illegal trade, like the effective enforcement of South Africa’s newly adopted regulations requiring full traceability for every dried abalone consignment leaving the country. 

Johan Heckroodt, chair of the Abalone Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) suggested the last minute change was related to the recent replacement of the Dr Dion George by Minister Willie Aucamp who is in favour relaxing rules for the commodification and consumptive use of wildlife.  Heckroodt, who is also the deputy chairman of AgriSA, said that his association welcomed the withdrawal of the proposal.   “When buyers see this is a CITES listed produce they are not going to be interested in being educated about what is legal and what is illegal.  They are just not going to buy it.”

Two weeks before the CITES CoP20, on the 12^th November 2025, Minister Dion George was sacked from the national executive and replaced with Democratic Alliance spokesman Willie Aucamp following a request from Democratic leader John Steenhuisen. According to Global Governance Africa, South Africa removed is most internationally credible minister whilst he was representing the country at COP30 in Brazil.  Global Governance Africa also stated that according to a senior Democratic Alliance insider, Dr Dion George was driving reforms that directly threatened influential actors from wildlife breeders and hunting interests moreover, powerful members of the South African Predators Association who are litigiously opposed to George’s efforts to end captive lion breeding. The article suggests that the conflict of interest now seems obvious, George’s replacement is close to the wildlife ranching lobby and openly says that he is a game farmer.

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Image Description: Abalone poaching area at Hangklip headland, between Pringle Bay and RooiEls at the entrance to False Bay, June 2019 ©EMS Foundation. All Rights Reserved 2025.