Article : Mogale Ramoshaba – Multimedia Journalist
Limpopo Premier Meets Farmers Amid Sever Heatwave and Drought
The Limpopo Province has been identified as the most vulnerable province in terms of climate change impact, not only in terms of changes in average temperatures and rainfall patterns, but also through changes in extreme events. Limpopo will, in all likelihood, become hotter and drier, with more extreme rainfall events during the summer.
Agriculture and food production are considered the sectors most vulnerable to climate risk. Adverse factors include livestock mortality and decreasing water security.
Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba met with livestock farmers in Mphagani Village to discuss the severe drought impacting the region on Sunday.
This meeting followed a comprehensive assessment of the dire conditions facing farmers in both the Mopani and Vhembe districts, where prolonged dry spells have left land parched and grazing fields virtually non-existent.
The province has been facing severe drought conditions since November last year, characterised by extreme heat waves, veld fires and inadequate rainfall. The drought has particularly affected the Waterberg, Sekhukhune and Capricorn districts.
Accompanying the Premier were key officials, including the MEC for the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the MEC for Limpopo Department of Health (Bophelong), Ms. Dieketseng Mashego, Greater Giyani Municipality Mayor Cllr Thandi Zitha, and Cllr Maripe Mangena, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Mopani District Municipality.
Ramathuba assured farmers that the government is fully aware of the challenges they are enduring and pledged to provide assistance, particularly through the process of declaring the area a disaster zone.
“We are fighting against a natural phenomenon here; our prayers are that it rains soon. In the meantime, we need to assist these farmers to stay afloat with some resources we have been able to gather,” she stated.
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In an immediate response to the crisis, the Premier delivered 80 bags of concentrates and 13 bales weighing 2,500 kilograms each to the Mphagani Farmers Association.
The Premier announced that further supplies would be dispatched to farmers in the Vhembe and Mopani areas, emphasizing the government’s commitment to supporting the agricultural community during these challenging times.
This emergency aid is part of a larger plan, with additional measures set to roll out in the coming weeks to support farmers throughout the Mopani and Vhembe districts.
Mitigation Efforts by Limpopo Coghsta
In July, the Transvaal Agricultural Union of South Africa stated that a black frost had affected most of Limpopo.
Potatoes, tomatoes, and many other vegetables experienced damage after black frost impacted the province.
TLU SA North Chairman Henk van de Graaf reported that severe black frost had been noted in the Soutpansberg mountain region, Levubu, Marble Hall, Arabie, and Bela-Bela.
The cold snap has resulted in snow in the south and west, freezing conditions across the rest of the country, high seas, and damaging winds along the shoreline, the weather service warned.
The South African Weather Service cautioned of extremely high fire danger conditions in some parts of the country, including Northern Cape and Limpopo.
Agri Limpopo CEO Deidre Carter described the situation as “dire,” warning that many parts of the region are critically dry, with farmers growing increasingly desperate for relief.
Carter urged farmers without resources to feed their livestock to sell the animals to avoid them starving to death. “One way to mitigate the effects of the severe drought is for farmers to auction their livestock.
You either have to sell them while they are still in good condition, or you have to buy fodder. You need to feed them,” she said.
She noted that some game farmers had to feed their animals throughout winter due to the drought.
“We have had no rain since the beginning of January. We didn’t have any of the cyclones that usually come from the Mozambique Channel in February or March.
She mentioned that it was dry throughout the province, increasing the risk of veld fires.
Areas like Lephalale, Giyani, and Tzaneen were extremely dry and desperate for rain.
The deputy chairperson of the Black Agricultural Commodities Federation (BACF), Mike Gcabo, concurred that the situation was bad, particularly for emerging farmers.
He stated they were collecting data from farmers to quantify the extent and nature of the losses, having received reports from the Lephalale and Giyani regions.
The Limpopo Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) has requested an additional allocation of R25 million to support critical relief measures, including R15 million for livestock feed and R10 million for livestock watering from the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).
Molebatsi Masedi, Provincial Coghsta spokesperson, said the department aims to bolster its drought mitigation strategies, protect the livelihoods of farmers, and enhance resilience against future climate change.
Masedi noted that despite previous allocations of R7.2 million for drought relief during the 2023/24 financial year, funds have been exhausted due to extensive requirements for emergency interventions.
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“As part of mitigation efforts, initiatives such as water harvesting, repairing boreholes, expanding the province’s network of automated weather stations for real-time climate data, promoting drought-resistant livestock breeds, encouraging the adoption of resource-conserving agricultural techniques, and upgrading existing water infrastructure have been prioritised to ensure a stable water supply across affected regions,” said Masedi
Masedi stated that to address the challenges, Limpopo has developed a provincial agriculture disaster management strategy designed to enhance disaster resilience across the agricultural sector.
The strategy emphasises building partnerships among stakeholders and strengthening the province’s ability to manage disasters through proactive measures, including education on drought preparedness and the implementation of sustainable farming practices.
Limpopo Premier Meet Farmers Amid Sever Heatwave and Drought