Urgent relief call for flood-affected farmers

MEMBERS of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature have called on the national government to expedite the payment of R65 million in compensation to farmers affected by flood damage.

- ZAINUL DAWOOD

Addressing the KZN _Legislature recently, Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, the KZN MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that farmers, especially those in rural areas, have suffered losses due to natural disasters in the current financial year.

She said that despite these significant losses, affected farmers have not yet been compensated by the government, placing their livelihoods and the agricultural sector at risk.

KaMadlopha-Mthethwa proposed that the government establish a ring-fenced disaster relief fund to address future crises.

Sakhile Mngadi, DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development, said that farmers are under siege from forces beyond their control. He said that crops have been lost, livestock wiped out, and, with them, the livelihoods of thousands of families who depend on agriculture for survival.