Task team set up to look into drought crisis in S. Africa

The South African government has set up an inter-ministerial task team to look into the worsening drought situation in the country, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.

Led by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan, the team also consists of Ministers of Rural Development and Land Reform; Water and Sanitation, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Radebe said at a press briefing in Cape Town after fortnightly cabinet meeting.

The committee will discuss and propose further interventions to the communities mostly affected by the drought, said Radebe.

He said Gordhan will host a media briefing next week to outline a program of action to address the drought situation.

Addressing concerns over the severe drought, Radebe said that areas that are supplied by the country's larger regional water supply dams and schemes remain water secure as these systems are currently in a positive water balance with a national average dam storage at 66-percent full.

Also on Thursday, Limpopo Province was declared a drought disaster area, bringing to three the number of provinces which have been declared as disaster areas. The other two are the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

A thorough assessment of the drought situation has found that all district and local municipalities in Limpopo are facing the worst drought conditions recorded in years, Limpopo Premier Stanley Mathabatha said.

The declaration will assist the provincial government to unlock the necessary resources to assist the affected communities.

Mathabatha urged all residents of Limpopo to heed all calls to use water sparingly, respect water restrictions and observe all guidelines to save water.

Drought-stricken farmers in six provinces are asking for government assistance to protect them from further losses due to a severe drought, according to the National African Farmers' Union (NAFU).

Due to the persistent dry weather, large areas of grazing land have become baren, maize producers heavily indebted and livestock farmers have run out of stock feed, the NAFU said.

"We are asking the government to have a subsidized insurance for farmers involved in food production," NAFU CEO Motsepe Matlala said.

Due to the drought, South African farmers have to reduce maize plantation by 3.8 percent, with 2.551 million hectares for 2016, according to the National Crop Estimates Committee.

The South African government has allocated 350 million rand (about 26 million US dollars) to fight the persistent drought.

Water Affairs and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said the country is facing the worst drought since the 1960s as small dams have run completely dry in some areas.

Weather experts say the drought came as the result of one of the biggest El Nino events ever recorded in the country.

El Nino is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central pacific that occurs every few years. It can bring floods to some regions but in South Africa it always bring drought, increases the number of heat wave days and reduces soil moisture.

The water crisis reportedly has affected 2.7 million households.

The drought has already led to a reduction in agricultural production.

The maize crop is down from 14.25 million tonnes last year to an estimated 9.84 million tonnes this year, said John Purchase, Chief Executive Officer at the Agricultural Business Chamber.

This means the country may have to import food to avert shortages, he said. Enditem