Premier fails farmers hardest hit by drought

9 July 2020

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English & Afrikaans  from Reinette Liebenberg, MPL. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is deeply concerned about the feeble amount of R 35.6 million in drought relief funding that was allocated to the province and we are hereby calling on the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, to urgently meet with farmers to discuss what additional relief, if any, the provincial government will avail to farmers.

National Treasury last night, after consultation with the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the agriculture departments from seven provinces, revealed in a virtual meeting that the total amount for drought relief is R138 million.

The amount of R 35.6 million in drought relief funding for our province is cause for concern considering that our farmers are on the brink of collapse and losing hope, after less than 20% of small and commercial farmers received a share of the R 41 million Covid-19 relief funds.

To date, farmers in the NC have yet to see interventions from the provincial agriculture department, as announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Thoko Didiza, on the 19th of May this year.

The DA will again write a letter to the Premier and newly appointed MEC, Mase Manopole, to urge them to respond equally to the plight of all farmers in our province and to consider providing feedback to all letters and questions presented to them.

It seems that our provincial government is not at all considering the seriousness of the drought and the impact it has had on our farming community. Farmers should receive equal attention, as they are, at the end of the day, trying to ensure that our province’s food basket is filled with enough food for everyone.

Issued by Reinette Liebenberg, DA Northern Cape Provincial Spokesperson on Agriculture, Land Reform, Rural Development and Nature Conservation, 9 July 2020