Landowners who DON’T COMPLY with the Fire Act may face the possibility of losing their land in litigation, warned Agri Limpopo president Dr Theo de Jager.
Recent fires have destroyed more than R220 million-worth of mangoes in the Tzaneen district. In Trichardtsdal the Sekororo Communal Property Association lost 2 500ha of mangoes, while in Tarentaalrand several land reform beneficiaries lost 1 200ha of mangoes. Mieliekloof at least 1 000ha of mangoes were destroyed.
“Ledzee Estates in Tzaneen lost an undisclosed amount of export mangoes and in LetsiteleValley a few hundred hectares of mangoes were lost,” Dr De Jager said, “but damage was also done to citrus, banana and macadamia orchards.” The juice and atchar manufacturers who depend on Tzaneen mangoes will also feel the pinch now. According to Dr De Jager, the damage was not only to fruit trees but also tea plantations, while forestry suffered a major loss and several farmhouses and buildings also burned down.
More than 100ha of pine trees were lost in Iron Crown and the largest pine sawmill in the Limpopo province, Stevens Lumber Mills, also burned down. Magoebaskloof as well as in the Letsitele Valley more than 300ha of Saligna burned down. The fires have been attributed to extremely hot weather conditions, several runaway domestic fires, the harvesting of wild honey and fires started by landowners who were ignorant of the moratorium on fires. Dr Jager said that arson was suspected in Trichardtsdal and Letsitele and a full assessment of the damage was currently underway. – Peter Mashala
