KZN floods put pressure on farmers

Agriculture was not spared during the recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, which left large parts of the province devastated last month, writes Jyothi Laldas.

- Jyothi Laldas

After being battered by devastating storms in January, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) farmers are counting their losses in crops, livestock and infrastructure. Having experienced six weeks of heavy rain with widespread flooding, severe thunder and lightning storms, torrential winds and hail, KZN is facing widespread disaster to the tune of billions of rand and many lives lost. Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Thembi Nkadimeng, recently announced that the National Disaster Management Centre had declared some municipalities, including Uthukela, iLembe, Ugu, Umzinyathi, and eThekwini Metro, disaster areas.

Nkadimeng, who was in KZN together with Deputy Minister Parks Tau and KZN COGTA MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, conducted oversight visits in areas affected by the floods. She also reported that more than R2 billion worth of infrastructure damage, including that of roads, bridges, schools, and households, had been recorded in the Uthukela District. Nkadimeng mentioned that once the assessments were concluded and all necessary steps had been followed, the department would request the president to declare a state of disaster for specific parts of the province, enabling National Treasury and other national departments to provide assistance.

LIVES LOST AND FARMS RUINED

During the most intense thunderstorms, several farmworkers were struck by lightning, while dairy farmers and food service providers have been left to cope with the aftermath of severe infrastructural damage to roads, hindering logistics and operations.