Agri Eastern Cape President, Dough Stern, says the severe drought has crippled farmers for five consecutive years. They have now reached a breaking point. According to him, the whole province is buckling under these conditions with the western part of the Eastern Cape which has been greatly affected. In the eastern part of the province below average rainfall brought some relief. The situation is dire while the provincial government is not coming to the table. 

Stern says, however, the resilience of farmers in these drought conditions is admirable and there is hope for a turning point which can be reached. Rain has been overdue for a long time, but he is confident farmers can look forward to a wetter 2020. His appeal to them is to be patient as their resilience will pull them through.

OFM News’ Christal-Lize Muller spoke to Stern…

See Podcast below

That was Dough Stern, president of Agri Eastern Cape only on Before Dawn. 

Meanwhile, Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, is still working closely with municipalities and other national departments, as well as the private sector, to alleviate the impact of the drought in some parts of the country. According to her, this includes the drought-stricken Eastern Cape. Several areas in this province are affected, such as at Butterworth. However, several initiatives have been launched in the Amathole District Municipality. This includes the release of water from the Wriggles Dam to the river at Keibrug, so that water tankers can be made available to communities.

OFM News