JOHANNESBURG – The department of agriculture in the Western Cape province has disbursed R 8.3 million in drought support to 586 farmers in the central Karoo region this month, it said on Monday.
The agriculture department has provided support to small scale and commercial farmers in the form of vouchers for fodder.
After a veld assessment in October, it made the decision to increase support from once every second month, to monthly in the extremely critical areas including the central Karoo.
Despite drastically reducing their herd sizes, they told me it’s just not enough."
Lukas Botes of Elim farm said he had spent hundreds of thousands of rand on feed in 2017.
While donations of roughage were being made by farmers across the country, recipients were battling to pay the transport costs to get it to the area.
We wouldn’t be here,” Botes said.
Maryke Gouws of Antjieskraal farm said rivers in the area last had water five years ago.
It had been about a year since her sheep had been able to graze in the veld, she said.
The third farmer visited by Schäfer, Chrisjan van der Vyver, said hungry baboons unable to find food were starting to kill his sheep.