Parts of the Western Cape are under siege from these winged menaces – Photo: Arrive Alive / Twitter
Parts of the Western Cape are under siege from these winged menaces – Photo: Arrive Alive / Twitter
The Western Cape is facing an almighty battle to contain several locust swarms, as outbreaks continue to decimate crops and put the local farming industry at risk.
Ivan Meyer, the Western Cape’s MEC for Agriculture, has confirmed that his department is now seeking a disaster declaration for the province. The regional government has already ploughed R5 million into tackling these infestations, but they are still in need of more assistance.
A map of the worst affected areas has been made public this week. Kliprand is an outlier, and most of the locust swarms are based in eastern parts of the province. Calitzdorp, Murraysburg, and Laingsburg are also in the firing line.
There was room for slight optimism on Tuesday, after MEC Meyer revealed that the locust swarms ‘have started to decrease’ in the Western Cape. However, he remains concerned about an ‘impending disaster’ for the region.
“Although the size of locust swarms are now decreasing in the Western Cape, the threat of reoccurrence remains. Four swarms have been sighted in the past week, and its possible they are on their way to the Eastern Cape. We are requesting a ‘disaster classification’ for this current outbreak.”
“My department and the Provincial Disaster Management Centre are assessing the full losses that are being experienced in the agricultural sector. We have to prevent an impending disaster, and doing so will protect livelihoods.”
Western Cape MEC Ivan Meyer