DA urges government to better mitigate locust disaster
15 February 2022.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has made an urgent appeal to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to scale up its locust combatting efforts to better mitigate the impact of the ongoing invasion of veld and farmland by bands of wingless nymphs that have been reported over a wide area in the vicinity of Vosburg, Van Wyksvlei, Prieska, Marydale and Hopetown.
This comes as district locust officers and workers struggle to contain the growing outbreak due to a number of challenges related to the programme.
The shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), including protective eyewear, proper overalls and low quality ponchos, poses a threat to the effective control of the locusts and the health of officers, as does the poor quality of pump seals.
District Locust Officers and their workers also struggle to obtain payments on a regular basis and must wait for up to three months for payment, having last received payment in November, despite work continuing.