100 000 hectares of farmland destroyed by Free State fires
An estimated 100 000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed by wildfires in the Hertzogville and Christiana areas of the Free State.
The fires damaged infrastructure and led to some farmers losing everything, including their livestock.
Chairperson of the Hertzogville District Farmers’ Union Gys Olivier says farmers are still calculating their losses.
"We cannot really determine what was the cause of the fire. We had several fires all with different causes, the other was caused by welding and another one was caused by demonstrators who were protesting in the township and torched a water tank and there was also an attempt to burn the farm in one area.”
He says the focus is now on assisting farmers to get back on their feet.
LISTEN TO GYS OLIVIER HERE:
"Some farmers lost everything, but the response from the provincial disaster management and Working on Fire teams have been really good to us.
“For now, we are going to try and declare this area as disaster zone.”
