The North West department of agriculture and rural development has refuted claims by the North West Umbrella Fire Protection Association (NWUFPA) of not receiving support to mitigate damage by fires that ravaged thousands of hectares of farmland over the past few days.
This follows a statement by fire association chairperson Eric Thabo Stoch on Monday in which he claimed the department did not offer support or communicate with them about how they could mitigate or suppress the fire damage on farmlands in the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom area.
Stoch said that widespread veld fires over the past few days have caused massive damage across the North West. The damage is estimated to be about R50 million with between 10 000 and 15 000 hectares of land razed. In Ventersdorp, an estimated 10 000 to 20 000 hectares of grazing and maize fields were destroyed.
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Stoch alleged that municipal fire departments try their utmost to put fires out but that they are under-resourced and that, when code red is declared, “absolutely nothing” is being done by government institutions to assist them.
Stoch also told Food For Mzansi that farmers are in dire need of fodder and water for livestock but that no assistance is being provided by government institutions.
“The instant drought has struck the farming community. Red tape dictates that sometime in the near-distant future, some form of paltry assistance may be given. Cattle are thirsty and hungry now! To date, despite the efforts of some very diligent officials, nothing has reached the farmers on the ground. If it has, the NWUFPA has no knowledge thereof,” said Stoch.
He pleaded with provincial ministers and department heads to ensure that their departments are compliant; that they instructed officials to expedite assistance to communities where help is needed.
“Please do not wait for civil unrest and then be reactive. The time is now! Please help your people as a matter of urgency. NWUFPA is ready, willing, and able to help all our communities in the province. All we request is the support from government to roll out the services to all vulnerable communities in the North West.”
Wally Mmutle, spokesperson for the North West department of agriculture and rural development, responded by saying the department had sent representatives to affected areas to examine the damage that was done.
He further explained that data was collected and that they were able to determine how many hectares were burned, and how many people and animals were affected. That information was sent on to the national government because the provincial department does not currently have funds for assistance.
“I had to meet with the chief financial officer yesterday to say, ‘Can’t we get anything in the meantime; maybe R2 million to buy fodder so we can assist these farmers?’ They are queuing at our doors here and it is our responsibility to assist the farmers but if we do not have it right now, and the chief financial officer says we do not have a budget, we can’t assist farmers,” he said.
Mmutle further indicated that he has been in communication with Stoch since Monday about assistance to the fire association. The department had planned to give them R300 000, but it cannot be transferred to the association because of a tax compliance issue with SARS.
“We just had a climate change meeting right before you called. I told him [Stoch], ‘Chief, we are in the same meeting here; please ask someone to correct your SARS issues so we can … send you the money so you can be able to help the farmers’,” said Mmutle.
He mentioned that he also had a conversation with Stoch, alerting him to the fact that the department does not have a budget for fodder.
“Even the MEC had to send me a message to say I have been repeating … the need to have a fodder bank,” he said.
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