---
title: "Watch — Inside South Africa’s billion-rand perlemoen underworld"
description: "A delicacy worth billions is being stripped from Nelson Mandela Bay’s coastline. But the damage goes far beyond the ocean. The black market trade in perlemoen is fuelling South Africa’s criminal underworld. This video by Riaan Marais spells it out."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "VIDEO"
author: "Riaan Marais"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/riaan-marais/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-03-watch-inside-south-africas-billionrand-perlemoen-underworld/"
published: "2025-12-03T23:00:33"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 39
---

# Watch — Inside South Africa’s billion-rand perlemoen underworld

> A delicacy worth billions is being stripped from Nelson Mandela Bay’s coastline. But the damage goes far beyond the ocean. The black market trade in perlemoen is fuelling South Africa’s criminal underworld. This video by Riaan Marais spells it out.

By Riaan Marais · Published 4 December 2025, 01:00 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_fvqBj5BU)

Reporting by: Riaan Marais 
Edited by: Joel Seboa 
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo 
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Subedited by: Ian Wolstenholme 

Support journalism that protects democracy. Become [a Maverick Insider](https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick). 
Subscribe to Daily Maverick's [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA). @dailymaverickchannel. **DM**