Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said that relief is on the way for farmers and communities devastated by recent floods in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
Steenhuisen visited a farm in Ceres on Monday, where he met with farmers and industry leaders as the government stepped up efforts to respond to the disaster.
Two powerful storms battered parts of the Western Cape, leaving 11 people dead and causing widespread flooding.
Farms were submerged, crops destroyed, and livestock swept away.
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Several communities are also still without electricity after heavy rain and strong winds damaged power lines.
Steenhuisen said restoring electricity is critical to protecting exports and preventing further losses.
“There’s a huge amount of cold storage required here at this facility to be able to keep the apples export ready to be able to generate the revenue. We need to get our Eskom electricity-powered power lines up and running so that we can get electricity in here.”
Steenhuisen also called for urgent repairs to key transport routes.
“We are going to have to focus on making sure that we shored up the Mitchells Pass and some of the other roads there to make sure that our trucks are able to get to the ports.”
Ntuthuzelo Nene
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