Mahikeng – The Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development is calling upon farmers in the North West province to participate in the Drought Assessment Process. The impact of climate change, which led to the western part of the country dry, has affected the North West province and this has led to the province experiencing frequency of drought in the recent years.

According to MEC Manketsi Tlhape, assessment processes should assist the department to determine how farmers have been affected by drought. An evaluation done by the departments has revealed that the province is facing poor conditions in both crop and livestock commodities and that is due to the sporadic rainfall accompanied by several heat waves as experienced this year.

“Farmers who would want to participate in the disaster relief scheme for assistance are requested to complete the assessment forms available from Municipal offices, Agricultural Structures, Extension officers and Animal Health Practitioners” MEC Manketsi Tlhape said.

Forms are available from Monday, 23 March 2015 and should be completed and returned on or before 10 April 2015. These completed forms should be returned to the nearest departmental offices.

Although the assessment is a pre-requisite to qualify for any possible assistance, assessment is not a notice that assistance or relief has or will be granted.

-TDN

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Boikhutso – Bokone Bophirima MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements Collen Maine has announced his department’s intention to deliver 800 more houses to residents in the villages around Ventersdorp. MEC Maine made the announcements during the community meeting held on Wednesday at Boikhutsong Community hall.

The meeting by MEC Maine follows the recent protest action were communities complained about lack of housing in their area. This is despite the unblocking of a 415 housing units project that was kick-started last week to complete the entire 1000 housing units project, worth R84 million rand in the area.

The villages which are to benefit from the new commitment include Tsetse, Welgevonden, Goedgevonden, Boikhutso and Boikhutsong.

MEC Maine said “We have realised that 1000 housing units which we are about to deliver, remain insufficient to the community. We have resolved to top up the units with another 800 units which will be allocated across the six villages. As the Bokone Bophirima provincial government we are now focusing more on decreasing the housing backlog in villages and farming communities were our people are feeling the brand of poverty and unemployment; in fact we are starting with the prioritization of Rural Villages as opposed to urbanization, thanks to the Premier who introduced the concept of (VTSD) Villages, Township, and Small Dorpies which will be the approach in the next five years”.

The announcement was embraced by residents who also liked the idea of job opportunities that comes with the projects. The department will also engage and partner with other department so they can deliver important social amenities such as a crèche, school, clinic and a hall which will create even more job opportunities to the impoverished communities.

Thembeni Mbenze (48) will be amongst those who will benefit from the housing project. Mbenze said “I have been staying in a shack since 1991. It’s terrible to live in a shack with four kids. During rainy season it’s just a mess inside as the water just drops through the leaks into the shack. I really can’t wait to occupy the new house”.

Subsidy Admin staff will be deployed to the villages starting this Tuesday to do subsidy administration. And on the 3rd of May 2015, the contractor will be introduced to the community to kick start the 800 housing units’ projects.

The subsidy Admin Staff will be in the following areas:

31/03/2015                  Boikhutsong         10h00 to 16h30

01/04/2015                   Welgevonden       08h00 to 16h30

02/04/2015                   Goedgevenden     08h00 to 16h30

03/04/2015                   Boikhutso             08h00 to 16h30

-TDN

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At least 22.2 million people got access to piped water between 1996 and 2013. This works out to an average of 1.3 million per year, or 109 000 people every month. This is according to the latest South Africa Survey published by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

The Survey is the annual yearbook on all social, economic, and political aspects of South Africa that the IRR has been publishing since 1946. Access to piped water includes inside a house, inside a yard, or from a tap shared by the community.

Overall, there were 47.5 million people with access to piped water in 2013.

This is the highest number of people with access to any basic service offered by the State. Access to electricity for lighting followed closely at 47 million people with connections. IRR analyst Kerwin Lebone said that it was great news that so many South Africans had access to basic essential services.

“The bad news is that there is evidence of neglect of the maintenance of water infrastructure. Water shortages could lead to widespread food shortage for livestock, among other challenges; while water pollution could lead to an unprecedented health epidemic from water-borne diseases,” Lebone added.

-TDN

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Potchefstroom: The extent to which farmers are able to get their businesses insured for unforeseen circumstances such as drought came under the spotlight during the drought mitigation dialogue which was held recently at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture.

Addressing farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural industry who attended this first of its kind initiative in the province, Premier Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo challenged insurance companies to ponder being with farmers in good and bad times.

“As we have placed agriculture at the apex of driving the province’s economic growth, we need to robustly engage each other as partners in this environment, on why it is not possible to get farmers’ businesses insured”, said Premier Mahumapelo who maintained that government is ready to engage all partners, including the private sector, to discuss possible and sustainable ways of mitigating risks associated with drought.

Organised by the provincial Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development, the dialogue was aimed at creating a platform for stakeholders to come up with innovative approaches to dealing with drought challenges.

The session which was attended by the Deputy Minister for Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries General Bheki Cele, noted the preliminary assessment report which indicates that Bokone Bophirima Province is currently experiencing drought, this as the province experienced very erratic but reasonable rainfalls only until December 2014.

“Rainfall patterns have drastically reduced, grazing status continues to deteriorate, and as a maize province, it is expected that the crop yield will diminish”, stated Dr Poncho Mokaila, Head of Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development.

Applauding the province for initiating this dialogue, Deputy Minister Bheki Cele said this will help in coming up with province specific solutions and intervention strategies to dealing with drought, on a short, medium to long term basis.

Deputy Minister Cele further called on the province and the sector to assist young black African people with interest in agriculture, saying “Let us all please find a way of not letting these young people down”, urged the Deputy Minister.

The MEC for Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development, Ms Manketsi Tlhape, assured delegates of government’s stance to walk the path with farmers, saying that relief will be sought once the province is declared a state of disaster.

“This session has helped us to understand the expectation from the sector, and the deliberations here will certainly assist us to be better prepared for the next season”, said MEC Tlhape who also urged farmers to participate in the drought assessment exercise which the department has initiated, by collecting assessment forms from various departmental offices.

Stakeholders who participated in this one-day dialogue included organised agriculture such as Omnia, National Emerging Red meat Producers Organisation, Grain SA, National African Farmers Union, Agricultural Research Council, NoordWes Korporasie, Agri NW, Transvaal Agricultural Union, the financial institutions, the North West University and Dikgosi.

-TDN

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Koster- The Premier of Bokone Bophirima Province Mr Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo will tomorrow, Tuesday 31 March 2015, attend a memorial service of a 9-year old Kegomoditswe Boikanyo who together with Basetsana Octavia Modumo went missing in Koster on 24 September 2014.

This follows the release of International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP)’s report which confirmed that the decomposed body of a female minor that was found floating in Kgetleng River at Finfoot farm on Sunday, 28 September 2014, has been positively identified as that of Kegomoditswe Boikanyo.

The two girls went missing while at Mountain View, Reagile Location, Koster, and Basetsana Octavia Modumo remains missing. Kegomoditswe Boikanyo’s body which was found with missing parts including hands, head and private parts, will be buried on Wednesday, 01 April 2015 at Reagile location.

The Memorial Service will be held as follows:

Date                : Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Venue                        : Reagile Community Hall – Koster

Time               : 09h00

-TDN

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Johannesburg– Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana defender Thabo Matlaba has been declared fine after he was stretchered off and rushed to hospital on Sunday night (29 March).

Matlaba was elbowed on the chest in the latter stages of the second half of the international friendly match against Nigeria at the Mbombela Stadium which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Left-back Sibusiso Khumalo took his place in the 80th minute.

“The initial diagnosis was that he had a lung contusion (bruise) because he was in serious pain at the stadium and at the hospital this was confirmed after a CT Scan of the chest and lungs.

“He was elbowed hard on the chest but he is now fine, there is nothing broken, which is a great relief. He was discharged last night from the hospital but he will need total rest for some time, and this will be determined by his club’s medical team,” said Dr Thulani Ngwenya, the Bafana Bafana Team doctor.

Bafana Bafana have already returned from their camp in Nelspruit.

-TDN

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