Farmers ask Zuma for help
2010-11-06 14:12
KImberley - Farmers in Namaqualand, Northern Cape have called on President Jacob Zuma to help with the lack of drought relief programmes in the area, the National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation (Nerpo) said on Saturday.
"Emerging farmers from Namaqualand have lost a substantial number of their livestock in the past three years due to (the) lack of drought relief programmes from government," Nerpo executive chairperson Aggrey Mahanjana said in a statement.
He said Nerpo had been inundated with requests from farmers urging the organisation to call for intervention.
"Efforts seem to have also fallen on deaf ears."
"It’s high time that farmers take up this matter with the President so as to find a lasting solution to this problem," Mahanjana said. Farmer Ingrid Osbourne said farmers had lost almost all their livestock because of the drought.
"There is nothing that Namaqualand farmers have not done to plead with government for help.
"All government authorities we have approached have turned a blind eye to our scourge (sic). We are now heading to Union Buildings to seek the President’s intervention."
- SAPA
