DA calls on Ramaphosa to declare drought a national disaster
The Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in the ongoing drought that has plagued several provinces in the country.
Farmers union AgriSA confirmed last year that the drought has brought farming industries in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the Limpopo area to the brink of disaster.
Steenhuisen briefed the media in Kimberly in Northern Cape on Wednesday, where he urged the president to announce interventions during his visit to the province for the African National Congress (ANC) birthday celebrations.
Ramaphosa is currently in Kimberley ahead of the party’s January 8 statement which will be delivered on Saturday.
READ: Northern Cape 'well endowed' with natural resources to tackle energy crisis, says Ramaphosa
Steenhuisen says the president’s visit provides an ideal opportunity for the government to address the drought.
“This drought is a clear and present danger to the economic wellbeing of the country, to the the economic wellbeing of the provinces affected.
“National government has a duty in terms of the constitution to step in where provincial and local governments do not have sufficient capacity or funds to take care of the citizens on the ground.”
Steenhuisen also warns that the ongoing drought has already resulted in job losses in the agricultural sector.
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