By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
27 March 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Northern Cape urges the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform to ensure that it properly hands over the irrigation system in Onseepkans to the Department of Water and Sanitation and fulfil necessary conditions to prevent a man made drought.
The DA Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Reinette Liebenberg, who is also a spokesperson on Agriculture said, at departmental insistence, the former irrigation canal was replaced by a pump-driven pipeline system in 2014. Liebenberg said, but the quality of the pipeline’s construction is questionable and the filters are continuously clogged with sludge and other debris.
“This endangers water provision to the harvests of 162 emerging farmers and commercial agribusiness, including 110 hectares of raisins cultivated on communal land as well as export grape production, lucerne and dates.
“Despite departmental assurances that a solar farm would be established to power the pumps, commercial agribusinesses are still burdened with the costs of the Eskom account. It seems they are expected to pay indefinitely while the department does little to secure the promised solar power support,” she said.
Liebenberg further said understandably, commercial farmers want to withdraw from the arrangement. She added that this will affect maintenance of the pipeline and could worsen water supply constraints.
“The DA has repeatedly called the head of the department to engage with the Onseepkans Irrigation Board. It’s disappointing to learn that his intervention was limited to encouraging all roleplayers to find a workable solution, without any concrete answers on the table from the department.
“The latest Eskom bill amounted to nearly R600 000, which was brought to the department’s attention, with no response. If that is the departmental approach, we must ask when it intends fulfilling its own obligations of this deal?” she asked.
Liebenberg said she has submitted questions to the department to probe its intentions, including the status of handing over the project and contingency plans for water provision, if commercial farmers withdraw from the project. She said given the poor response from the department, she will also be escalating this matter to the premier.
“Farming is difficult enough. We cannot allow departments to make matters worse for farmers who keep the agricultural sector going and who play a key role in putting food on our tables,” said Liebenberg.
The Guardian 