Durban — Emerging farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, especially in the northern parts say urgent government intervention will help prevent the collapse of their operations following the fires that have damaged their crops and livestock.
In addition many families across the province were picking what was left of their belongings when the wildfires this week razed their homes.
By Saturday the death toll had increased to seven with the youngest victims aged two and nine.
The veld fires have ravaged parts of the King Cetshwayo, Ilembe, uThukela, and Zululand Districts.
In a statement issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Department, the latest victim, 29, died on Saturday morning in Masinenge Informal Settlement, Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.
“Six of the victims perished in their homes when they were overcome by the raging wildfires, the seventh passed away because of a structural fire at the Masinenge informal settlement,” according to the statement.
The veld fires had impacted 144 people in the district, leaving 53 people homeless.
At least 48 houses were partially damaged, and 27 were completely destroyed.
In addition, crops and livestock were destroyed. Farmers were estimated to have lost 1 600 animals and 14 000 hectares of grazing land.
Emerging farmer Donutus Dlamini said he had lost goats and sheep to the fire and was worried that more of his livestock would die of hunger because the fire had ripped through grazing fields.
“I will need at least R50 000 to buy feed for my livestock and because I do not have any financial means I am really clueless as to how to raise this money,” said Dlamini.
He said many emerging farmers were in a similar situation and appealed for the government to come to their rescue.
Dlamini said that life had been very difficult in the past three years as they had to contend with floods and now the fires.
Chief fire officer in the uMlalazi Municipality Xolani Blose described the fires in the KZN north as some of the worst he had seen in years.
“I have been in the department for 15 years and can tell you that the last time we experienced something like this was in 2010 where lives and livestock were lost,” he said.
Blose said he was concerned that despite numerous campaigns to warn about fire dangers, people continued to start them in different areas.
He said although the fires started on Monday there were more reports of fires which showed that there were still instances of people starting them.
Ulundi Mayor Wilson Ntshangase said teams were still attempting to put out the fires which damaged homes forcing some families to seek refuge with neighbours.
KwaZulu-Natal, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has called for a review of how funding is allocated to the local government, especially for small rural municipalities.
As part of a broader intervention, Buthelezi handed over fire beaters, which will be distributed to municipalities in the Zululand and King Cetshwayo Districts.
Buthelezi, said he has assigned disaster management teams to provide support to the affected families.
“We are saddened by the further loss of life that our province has experienced due to the raging fires. We express our condolences, and as the provincial government under the leadership of Premier Thami Ntuli, all departments are playing an active role in providing relief to the communities affected by these fires,” he said.
Buthelezi is expected today, Sunday, to visit disaster-hit communities to provide interim relief to the farmers affected by the fire.
Sunday Tribune