North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Desbo Mohono has concluded the consultative process with the veld fires-affected farmers. The process was held last week Tuesday and Wednesday - paying attention to farmers in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and Bojanala Platinum Districts, respectively, as these are areas where the raging veld fires have hardly hit.
A lot of the farming area has been affected, resulting in a significant reduction of grazing and damage to on-farm infrastructure. Following a series of veld fires that affected farming areas in the province in the past few weeks, Mohono, has called on stakeholders in the agriculture sector to work together with the department to prevent disaster brought about by veld fires.
The Fire Protection Association of South Africa has recorded at least 243 incidents of veld fires at the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district alone. Many livestock died, and some farmers and assistants were injured. Mohono said the consultative process was an attempt by the government to bring about a solution-driven approach to the fires experienced by farmers in the two districts. "We are aware of the unfortunate recurring incidents of veld fires that have severely affected many farmers across our province. We are doing this consultation to see how best we can help each other. "The government has limited resources to carry out the remedial process alone. It is, therefore, imperative that farmers come on board as we try to develop solutions that will assist now and are bound to impact positively in the long term," said Mohono.
The MEC said that there needs to be preparation ahead of dry seasons, especially in areas that have been affected before. "Annually veld fires result in disastrous losses of natural grazing, animals, and infrastructure and, in some instances, loss of human lives. As this season is prone to veld fire starts, we need thorough preparation so that we can respond accordingly," added Mohono.
Although the Provincial Disaster Management Centre acknowledged that a recommendation had been made to the National Government to declare both Kagisano Molopo and Bojanala Platinum Districts disaster areas, Mohono said the provincial government and all relevant stakeholders in the province should be prepared to curb veld fire going forward.
"We need to be very cautious in our farming area and motivate everyone around to do so. Farm inhabitants and motorists must continue acting wisely when dealing with open fires, operating machinery, or smoking. These fires start small, but they cause huge damage," she said. After the rapport gathered from the consultative process, and whilst awaiting the national government state of disaster declaration request, Mohono will engage internally in the department to determine available resources that will relieve the affected farmers.
The department would also engage further and facilitate the firefighting training process. The farmers in both districts have welcomed MEC’s assertion that a multisectoral approach is critical to curbing veld fires. Mosimanegape Gaasenwe, a farmer in Kagisano Molopo, said that although they are desperate for immediate intervention, thorough work must be done so farmers will have a different experience in the future.
He said they are willing to work with the government to find long-lasting solutions to incidents of wildfires. The department has already delivered firefighting skid units to farmers in the Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality to combat veld fires.
