'Don't blame government'

2003-10-02 18:39

Pretoria - Some farmers were themselves partly to blame for the hardships they were enduring as a result of the drought, an agriculture department spokesperson said on Thursday.

It was therefore not fair to in turn blame the government for what some perceived as a slow response, said agricultural risk and disaster management senior manager, Ikalaseng Kgakatsi.

He said farmers in affected areas were given timeous warnings of hard times to come, which some chose to ignore.

They were warned to reduce their livestock and make firebreaks, but many did not.

"We all need to work more closely together," Kgakatsi said.

In a bid to improve matters, the department was hard at work developing a drought management strategy and improving its early warning system.

Also in the pipeline was a programme by which the government would help farmers meet their insurance obligations - provided they adhered to best farming practices.

The Transvaal Agricultural Union complained in a statement about the way the government was treating appeals for drought relief.

Planning ahead

"In the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and Limpopo, actual drought relief has not been forthcoming," it said in a statement.

Kgakatsi said his department requested some R33m from the national treasury for drought relief in Limpopo, where seven districts have been declared disaster areas.

Funds have also been requested for other drought-stricken areas, and a decision was expected later this month.

Kgakatsi said the focus should be less on government drought assistance, and more on planning ahead.

The SA Weather Service has predicted no substantial relief from the dry conditions before next month.

On Thursday, it said heat wave conditions were expected to continue over Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the eastern part of North-West, the north-eastern Free State and the extreme north of KwaZulu-Natal until Monday.

There was, however, a chance of between 40 and 60% for rain over the eastern parts of the country from Monday, and over the central interior later in the week.

Forecaster Willem Landman said it was not unusual for the summer rainfall areas to be so dry this time of year. The effects were worse this year, however, because the country last had proper showers in February.

Farmers have expressed concern of large-scale losses if the rain did not come within two weeks.

Dams emptier

Information from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry showed the country's dams were much emptier than the same time last year.

Dam levels in the Eastern Cape were at 63% on Monday, compared to 80% last year.

In the Free State, the levels were down from 97% to 75%, in Gauteng from 86% to 57%, in KwaZulu-Natal from 89% to 70%, and in Limpopo from 86% to 52%.

Mpumalanga's dams were only about 49% full, compared to 73% last year. Levels in the North West were down from 87% to 54% and in the Western Cape from 83% to 70%.

Northern Cape dams were only one percent emptier than last year's 94%, while in neighbouring Lesotho dam levels stood at 73% compared to 99 percent last year.

Departmental official Amelius Muller said water restrictions have already been imposed in parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

These would have to be expanded if the rains did not come soon.

- SAPA