This is according to Kosie van Zyl, disaster advisor at Agri SA, who has been involved in the agriculture sector for the last 65 years. 

He says the drought has been officially declared in KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, and he is expecting drought declarations for North West and Northern Cape to be made official any day now. He says this will mean there is a drought in four of South Africa’s nine provinces with the possibility that Limpopo could also still be declared a drought disaster area.

Van Zyl says the drought has been coming for several years already, starting in North West in 2012/13.

He says it is already comparable to the drought of 1991/92, when Government provided R3,8-billion in assistance to farmers, adding that if it continues it could be worse than the great droughts experienced between 1915 and 1925.

Reacting to media reports quoting Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane as saying farmers won’t get state help and need to adapt, he says the comments must be viewed in the appropriate context. 

He agrees that everyone needs to save water wherever possible. He says farmers must adapt to climate change and use water as efficiently as possible. 

However, he says this cannot be achieved by telling farmers to stop irrigating completely. He says if the drought continues, irrigation farmers will have to shoulder the full burden in terms of ensuring food security.

Van Zyl says the National Disaster Management Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet next week and there should then be greater clarity on how much money will be allocated to each specific department for drought relief.

Sabrina Dean/OFM News