This is while local farmers in North West suffering from a devastating drought have received little beyond promises from government. “Relief for South Africa must be put first, before committing elsewhere,” said Annette Steyn, DA spokesperson for agriculture. Boeta du Toit, general manager of Agri North West, said that although the province had been declared a drought disaster area, farmers had received only R4,6 million in aid so far.
“We’ve received information that the National Disaster Management Fund will give a further R43 million, but there’s so much politics around the issue that we aren’t sure when this money will become available – if it becomes available,” he said. The government had apparently decided that the money would be handed out through tenders, which meant that the total amount
of aid money would not end up in the hands of farmers, said Du Toit.
As it was, R43 million was not much when divided among the 23 000 farmers who had applied for drought relief, he said.
In a recent newsletter, the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation said that dry conditions leading to a lack of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals in the grazing veld, were causing a surge in the outbreak of diseases. Lack of proper nutrition made animals more susceptible to internal and external parasites, and farmers were urged to be on the lookout for signs of problems such as anaemia, weight loss and diarrhoea.
Various poisonings have also been reported, as toxic plants seemed to be the only greenage left in certain regions. Steyn said that she would write to minister of agriculture Tina Joemat-Pettersson, requesting that she prioritise drought relief with the same sense of urgency that the Elliot region in the Eastern Cape received earlier this year after fires surrounding ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s farm. “I will also put forward parliamentary questions at the next opportunity to assess what has been done for these communities,” she said.
Steyn pointed out that government had not given the necessary support when it came to other natural disasters.
“Communities such as those affected by the severe flooding of 2006 in the Langkloof are still waiting for assistance from the department of agriculture,” she said. “Others in North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo are also still waiting for relief after floods that occurred between December 2010 and February 2011.” President Zuma’s office had yet to respond to requests for comment on the drought aid to Namibia at the time of going to print.
