Drought closing in on KZN
2003-10-01 22:30
Dries Liebenberg
Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal farmer said on Wednesday that vultures were a common sight on his farm - they circled over his cattle and game that were falling victim to the district's crippling drought.
Gerdus Diedericks of the farm Kwami, in the Bayala district, has battled the drought for three years. This area is in the northern reaches of the province, which have been particularly hard hit.
Other drought-stricken regions include Richards Bay and the stretch along the Mozambican coast.
Charles Carey, the head of disaster management at the KwaZulu-Natal's department of local government, said that rural residents who relied on fresh water were those most in need.
Even the Umfolozi River, near St Lucia, has dried up.
In the Bayala district Diedericks and his neighbours have been supplying water to local communities.
But for the animals, there is no food left. Some farmers have been feeding their game for the past two years.
- Beeld