Both established and emerging farmers are facing massive losses and possible bankruptcy as the drought tightens its grip on the country.
Crop failures and lower market prices are making it impossible for farmers to afford wages and Alie van Jaarsveld, spokesperson for the Western Cape department of agriculture, warned that almost a third of the 3Â 000 workers on wheat farms in the Western Cape may be retrenched.
The farm workers affected will be forced to move to towns to find employment. But rural towns have little work available, and the pressure of new job seekers plus the consequent mushrooming of informal settlements will add to the increasing cycle of poverty.
“The drought has severe social and economic consequences for the region,” said Van Jaarsveld. “If the workers lose their income, the economies of the small towns that surround the farms will also be adversely affected.”
Many farmers in the area are on the brink of financial ruin, with wheat farmers in the Red Karoo facing crop failure for the third year in a row.
Neil Volgraaff, a farmer in the Vanrhynsdorp district, has abandoned his farm and now works in town to earn money to pay his debts. “My farm is pikswart [pitch black — scorched by the sun],” he said. “Most new farmers I know have left because they can get better money elsewhere. But for the old generation it is a stalemate. They have nowhere to go.”
The Western Cape cabinet convened an emergency meeting this week. A task team consisting of all the heads of the provincial departments has been established to find short-, medium- and long-term solutions for communities in need.
Pieter van Rooyen, chairperson of the task team, said it would do its best to keep people on the land and to preserve jobs.
Cobus Dowry, the Western Cape minister of agriculture, said the government is “extremely concerned about the economic implications of the drought, as well as the welfare of the people directly affected by it”.
Many farms in the region don’t even have enough water for their day-to-day needs. The provincial government has been forced to truck water for humans and livestock to farms in the Vanrhynsdorp and Vredendal area.
The situation is also dire in the North West and the Eastern Cape where authorities have been forced to supply water to residents after water sources dried up.
In the North West emerging farmers have given up hope, said Gideon Morule, president of the National African Farmers’ Union North West chapter. “It is very, very bad. People have nowhere to go; everything they have is on that piece of dry land and their animals are dying. They are praying for help from the government and from the heavens.”
The Ratlou municipality in the North West is carting water to its people, while in the Eastern Cape rural municipalities such as Amatola, Chris Hani, Oliver Tambo and Alfred Nzo are listed as critical.
The national Department of Water Affairs and Forestry rates drought stricken areas as serious, severe and critical. An area is rated critical when water sources have dried up, said Amelius Muller of the department.
Transporting water to communities is a last resort, even when the situation is critical. “We drill deeper into the dried-up borehole to look for more water, or sink additional boreholes,” said Muller. “This is money better spent in the long run, and it creates additional infrastructure for the communities.”
Rural communities are hardest hit as they depend on springs and boreholes, unlike urban communities that receive water from dams.
But there are concerns about the low dam levels around the country. The Vaal dam, which stands at 29,7%, has not risen since early December. Meteorologist Johan van der Berg warns that in areas of summer rainfall, such as Gauteng, the Free State and the North West, dams should be at least 60% full by the end of the rainy season.
In the Free State the critical Koppies dam and the Krugersdrift dam have seen levels fall well below 10%. The levels of the Kalkfontein and Erfenis dams, also currently below 20%, dropped a whole percentage point in the past week alone.
The Free State department of water affairs this week said that if the situation in the Kroonstad area did not improve, water would have to be brought in by train from Welkom.
Tseliso Ntili, regional director of water affairs in the province, said the Bloemhof dam, which now stands at 13%, only has three months’ water supply left. This is despite Kroonstad households being restricted to using 20 kilolitres a month.
In the Western Cape, dam levels are falling rapidly despite the heavy rains in December. “This is because [the rains] fell in catchment areas close to the sea and the water simply flowed back to the ocean,” said Muller.
In Cape Town strict water regulations are in force, with residents restricted to watering their gardens for only half an hour once a week and the municipality announcing it will not water any parks or recreational areas. Policing of unauthorised water usage will be stepped up and those breaking the rules face fines of up to R10Â 000.
“The current water restrictions, which have been implemented since October 1 2004, are being intensified to ensure that the targeted water saving of 20% by the end of September 2005 is achieved,” said Saleem Mowzer, mayoral committee member for trading services.
The bad news is that the city has not met its savings target for the festive season and even stricter restrictions may be imposed.