Africa

The Zimbabwe government’s latest announcement regarding compensation for land lost by white farmers during the land reform process in the 2000s was nothing but propaganda, according to Saai chairperson Dr Theo de Jager.

Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, recently announced that the government had authorised the construction of a second desalination plant.

Zimbabwe's finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, announced a downward revision of the country's economic growth forecast for 2024 due to Southern Africa’s worst drought in decades, which has severely impacted crop yields.

The BXB, crossbred from Braunvieh and Brahman cattle, will add value to virtually any beef production concern in Southern Africa, according to Auroa Braunvieh owners Lourens and Henriette Le Grange, who pioneered the BXB in Namibia. They attribute this to the combination of both breeds’ outstanding traits.

Namibia has been battling severe drought conditions since 2012, with the past few years proving especially dire. Although there have been occasional years of good rainfall, most have seen extreme dryness and minimal precipitation.

Namibia is experiencing a serious drought, with the lowest run-off recorded in the past 100 years. This is an indication that groundwater resources would become less reliable in future.

Botswana is seeking to import grains from international suppliers to supplement its supplies after this year’s devastating drought. According to a Bloomberg report, the country is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) revised Zimbabwe’s economic growth forecast for 2024 downward to 2%, a significant reduction of 1,6 percentage points from its previous projection.

The African Development Fund (ADF) recently announced a R412,38 million grant to Malawi to help the country to reinforce agricultural productivity and climate resilience.

The Constitutional Court earlier this week ruled that a R2 billion claim against the South African government for damages suffered due to land grabs in Zimbabwe was made too late.

The UN has pledged to support Zimbabwe’s call to mobilise more than R37 billion after President Emmerson Mnangagwa recent declaration of a national State of Disaster following the devastating El Niño-induced drought.

El Niño continues its severe impact on Zimbabwe, with a marked decline in crop production. The total area planted to crops in Zimbabwe in the 2023/24 season declined 6% when compared to the previous season, that of cereals declined 6% and maize grain declined 12%.