Season of drought a season of slaughter
Farmers in Northern and Western Cape have to cut back their flocks of sheep to deal with the worst drought many have experienced in lifetimes of 80 years
Sheep farmers around Williston, a town in the drought-hit Northern Cape, face a tough choice: either truck in costly feed to keep their animals alive or slaughter much of their stock. After at least three years of dryness in the country’s largest province, many have chosen the second option. "Everyone has cut back their flocks of sheep to the bare minimum needed to start again when it rains," said local farmer Willem Symington. "There are old men in their eighties saying they’ve never seen anything like this, and they’ve seen a lot of droughts." While much of SA is enjoying good summer rains, its two western provinces have been hit by a persistent drought. Taps in Cape Town are forecast to run dry as soon as March. Producers of crops ranging from peaches to wheat are coming under pressure and winemakers estimate the grape harvest could shrink to the smallest in 13 years. Years to recover "It’ll take many years to recover because it’s affected the entire value chain," said Christo va...
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