By: Wendy Manjeya
Following a devastating veld fire that left a trail of destruction and nearly wiped out a small-scale farmer’s livestock in the small village of Zilandana in Qumbu, the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform has stepped in to help affected farmers.
Masibhozo Yilo, who lost 111 sheep in the blaze, was overcome with emotion as he described the devastation. “I felt like my world had come crashing down around me,” he told Vutivi News. Yilo, who now has only 14 sheep left, said he was distraught on the day and “wanted to die”. “Losing nearly all my sheep and being left with just a few was devastating. I couldn’t sleep that night and I wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened. “With these sheep, I am able to send children to school and feed my family as I am not employed. This is a great loss to me,” he said.
Yilo is part of a community of local woolgrowers who sell their wool to BKB in Gqeberha. They also sell their sheep locally to make money. Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe has committed to providing feed and support to Yilo and the other farmers, as well as launching awareness campaigns to prevent veld fires. Kontsiwe visited Yilo this week. She donated feed for his remaining sheep, calling it an “immediate intervention” since the veld was destroyed with just small patches of grass left.
She mentioned that while she could not commit to further support, the government would see what else it could do to assist the farmers who have been left without their primary source of income. “We understand the importance of SMME farmers to our economy and our communities. We cannot allow them to suffer in silence. We will do everything in our power to support them and help them rebuild,” the MEC said.
Yilo said that while he was struggling to come to terms with his loss, the MEC’s visit and the feed provided had lifted his spirits. “The MEC’s visit and the support I received have given me new hope. I can now feed my remaining animals and start rebuilding,” he said.
