Heavy rains brought on by a series of recent cold fronts have left many farmers destitute and at least one without a year’s income and another unable to export her produce.
Elton Jephtas, owner of Defynne Nursery & Farm in Paarl, said the floods have left some of his orchards underwater and the soil saturated, making it difficult for trees to grow.
This as the provincial government estimated that the cost of the damages caused by the floods could mount to R1 billion.
“This means I have lost a year’s salary and will have to start planning all over again. My one hectare of land is still under water, and the fynbos that are planted will all be damaged. It will take another two or three years for the protea to be at a good harvesting level," said Jefthas.
Sue Fry, owner of Fijnveld Farm, a citrus farm outside Worcester, said she lost 20 tonnes of mandarins after the fruits fell off the trees due to strong winds. She said she lost about a third of her produce. Instead of dumping the “non-marketworthy fruit”, Fry donated the fruit to a number of charity organisations.
“That 30% of our crop could not be exported. The fruit itself was not ruined, and the damage was only to the skin, leaving marks on it, but it meant the fruit couldn’t be exported due to its quality, even though it as still fine for human consumption,” said Fry.
The Western Cape Bee Industry Association (WCBA) said beekeepers have also reported major losses due to the recent heavy rains. Although the estimates are still being tallied, one commercial beekeeper has reported losing as many as 1 500 hives, which means the number of affected hives could be higher.
Chris Nicklin, chairperson of the WCBA, said: “It’s devastating for beekeepers when they lose beehives, whatever the number. Particularly distressing is the loss of the bee colonies that occupy these hives.”
Among the concerns are that the loss of hives and bee colonies will have a negative impact on early season pollination of blueberries and plums.
The effects of the heavy rainfalls in the Western Cape were felt across the board, from two people losing their lives, to the destruction of infrastructure, the impact on the environment and agriculture, and animals left distressed.
MEC of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, said although they do not know at this stage the extent of the damages, the initial estimated cost is R750 000 to R1 billion.
He said roads were severely damaged in the Citrusdal area, particularly the road connecting the town to the N7 (now partially repaired), the Urionskraal road near Vanrhynsdorp, and many dirt roads in the region.
“Citrus farmers and potato and maize farmers seemed to have borne the brunt of the flooding. Grain farmers are impacted as they are unable to spray their crops due to the fields being waterlogged. The alternative would be aerial spraying, which would come at an extra cost to the producer,” said Meyer.
AgriWes Cape CEO Jannie Strydom said the flooding had a negative effect on the agricultural sector, but it was too early to say how much damage was done.
“Unfortunately, we are still busy with clean-up operations. It is too early to estimate what the cost of this is likely to be and we will assess the damage when things settle, the water runs down and things returnto normal.”
Strydom said the citrus industry is taking particular strain as not even 50% of the harvest is completed and the weather is making it challenging to continue. The potato industry is also at risk, as well as wine grapes.
Insurance companies said they are expecting an influx of storm and rain-related claims in the Western Cape once customers have an opportunity to assess the damage.
Soul Abraham, chief executive for retail for Old Mutual Insure, said they had so far received mostly claims for flooding and for collapsed structures related to the recent storms in the province.
“As a risk business, we take proactive measures to ensure we are equipped for crises like these. We understand the sense of urgency on behalf of our clients so we have instituted measures to ensure our affected customers are helped as quickly as possible,” he said.
Santam confirmed that they received reports of damage from policyholders in areas such as Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Franschhoek and Worcester.
“It is still too early to quantify the extent of the damage. We expect to have a better picture over the coming days as we begin to receive claim volume feedback. We have also begun receiving reports of flood damages in Gansbaai. We are dispatching assessors. We are also contacting our external assessors in George and Oudtshoorn, to ascertain if there is damage in those areas,” said Rowland Ramalingam, Santam’s head of Non-Motor Claims.
Bennie Eiland Steenkamp , manager at the Berg River Resort, has confirmed that the resort has suffered damage and that their doors are temporarily closed.
“Our electricity has been cut so at the moment our electricity is our biggest concern and greatest damage. The furniture and mats have also been damaged and removed from the chalets. We are still busy cleaning up and will be able to assess the damage thereafter.”
De Hollandsche Molen have also confirmed that they have been affected by the floods but were unable to say what the costs of the damage is.