Steenhuisen calling for state of disaster in Limpopo following floods

CAPE TOWN - Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen is calling for a state of disaster to be declared in Limpopo in the wake of severe flooding. 

On Friday, he met with farmers in Thabazimbi in the aftermath of devastating floods that have waterlogged vast tracts of farm land, describing the destruction as ‘heartsore.’ 

Steenhuisen said in the longer term, government will have to come up with ways to mitigate the impact of climate change on farming and agricultural production.

For now, he said, the immediate priorities are to minimise disruption to farming activity. 

“The key priorities are to get electricity back up and running so those farmers who still have crops under irrigation can irrigate. Secondly, to get the roads up and roading as quickly as possible so those people are able to get their products to mills and markets as quickly as possible.”

Steenhuisen said he’s inspired by the response from farmers and farmworkers to get their operations back on track, saying many jobs are also on the line if farming activity doesn’t resume soon. 

“The sooner we can have a state of disaster declared here by the province, the sooner we can get help in here from various departments of government, I think the better it’s going to be, but we can’t simply turn a blind eye to what’s happened here. The devastation is massive and on a scale like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”