Thabo Dithakgwe, a 22-year-old cattle farmer, is pleading with the government to assist in stopping wildfires that he says are destroying farms in the Kagisano-Molopo municipality in the North West.
Watch:
Our farms in Kagisano-Molopo are burning. The media won't show you, I had to. Dear God please hear our cry, shower our burning velds with rain💔 pic.twitter.com/2yLhwm59lP
— Thabo Dithakgwe (@ThaboDithakgwe) October 10, 2022
Dithakgwe said the fires could have been started by last week's heat wave. Recently, the South African Weather Services (Saws) warned of extreme heat that could possibly lead to wildfires.
“A heat wave is expected to continue in Gauteng, the highveld of Mpumalanga, the south-western Bushveld, the central and eastern North West and the northern Free State,” said Saws.
Dithakgwe's farm was spared from the raging inferno. Others were not as lucky.
“A neighbouring farm was affected but the owner eventually got it under control. We are very sad and tired because we are not getting the necessary support from stakeholders and the government,” he said.
“We do not have the resources to control such fires. This is a national crisis because when a farm burns, numerous families are affected and production fails.”
In response to the video he posted on Twitter, a user commented: “Please hear our plea and tell them about the fires that have destroyed our farms. Over 80 000 hectares of grazing land have burned down in the Ganyesa areas and parts of the Northern Cape. We need your help as farmers.”
Farmers in the region have called on the government numerous times for help, Dithakgwe said.
White farmers, who had resources, had come to the aid of the struggling small-scale agronomists, he said.
Dithakgwe said he had created fire belts to prevent his farm from being destroyed by the flames.
“Those of us who started from nothing still have a long way to go. We are not in the financial position to buy the necessary equipment.”
The young man, who was raised by a family of farmers, became passionate about farming at an early age. He said he wished to continue the legacy and his grandfather’s work.
Dithakgwe, who owns Dithabo Projects, graduated from the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture with a national diploma in agriculture in 2021. He encouraged other young people to enter the sector and shake things up.
“The average age of a South African farmer is 62 now. This indicates that we are short of young farmers who can come on board and continue working on creating a food-secure country. If young people can bring vibrant new ideas into the industry, we will thrive.”
He said elderly people in positions of power made life difficult for their younger counterparts because they held on to archaic values and ideas.
Dithakgwe said the solution was for those in power to see first hand the conditions under which farmers worked.
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