Of the 800 bales, 520 bales went to Hluhluwe farmers, with the rest going to other parts of the province, according to PJ Hassard of the Hluhluwe Farmers’ Association.
Hassard said the bales would be distributed according to the size of the farming operation. “There are eight cattle farmers and some game farms in the area that can utilise the bales,” he said.
“This donation has come just in time and will hopefully remind others that the drought is far from over and that we need to stand together,” said Sandy La Marque, CEO of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union, Kwanalu.
“Thousands of animals have already perished. Both commercial and subsistence farmers are desperate for assistance and are currently living from one day to the next, relying on whatever animal fodder is donated,” La Marque said.
Bencor Boerdery helped cover the majority of the transports costs which would have amounted to over R110 000.
Van de Velde realised how desperate farmers were after watching an insert on Carte Blanche. As he lives in a mainly dairy-producing area, he said the decision to help was easy.
