DA awaits long overdue oversight of drought-stricken province

2 October 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is eagerly anticipating the long-awaited oversight inspection of the drought stricken province by Deputy President, David Mabuza, on Friday this week.

The drought has still not officially been declared a provincial disaster in spite of previous commitments by COGHSTA, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, Rural Development and Nature Conservation, as well as Premier Zamani Saul, that this will be done soon.

Mabuza’s oversight inspection comes at a time when Northern Cape farmers are devastated by the five-year long drought that has crippled their farming enterprises and wreaked havoc on the rural economy, with some farmers having been left with no choice but to exit the market.

Earlier this year, the DA highlighted the dire consequences of the ongoing drought and subsequently also launched a petition to have the drought declared a Provincial Disaster.

Approximately 62 000 jobs throughout the provincial and South African economy, with direct and indirect links to the provincial agricultural sector, stand to be affected if no additional help is forthcoming for farmers in this province.

Assistance required for alleviating the effects of the drought amounts to a minimum of R612 million if below average rainfall continues and the drought intensifies for the remainder of the year.

We hope Mabuza will succeed in putting pressure on the Provincial Government to speed up the official drought declaration and funding of drought relief to the province.

We further wish to encourage Mabuza to extend an invitation to all role players, including emerging and commercial farmers, organised agricultural organisations and agricultural unions who have been hit hardest by this drought and who play a critical role in keeping the local economy afloat, to accompany him on his oversight inspection.

There can be no denying that an urgent intervention is crucial to the survival and sustainability of the provincial agricultural sector.

Issued by Reinette Liebenberg, DA Northern Cape Provincial Spokesperson on Agriculture, Land Reform, Rural Development and Nature Conservation, 2 October 2019