Ficksburg - Parts of the Free State have been hit hard by the drought. Farms in Ficksburg are some of the more affected areas in the province.

Meulspruit Dam, east of Free State has gone dry and the fish are dying.

In a bid to keep his fish alive, Ficksburg farmer Ludwig Oberholzer has connected a water pipe to his fish dam from a small dam to keep the surviving fish alive.

"All the companies make money out of the farms," he said.

He explained how hard it is for him to keep his cattle alive.

"Milk does not come out of a bottle. It comes from a cow, and I need to keep my cow alive in order for it produce," he said.

None of his cattle has died from the drought because he tries to feed them well.

A worker on the farm, Abel Caotsane, spoke about how hard it is for him to help his family financially because of the drought.

"We've never seen this. We can't plant anything. Last year it did occur but it wasn't as bad as this. On this farm, we depend on planting. We keep on losing more cattle. We can't even produce for them. We have run out of ideas on how to supply food for them," he said.

Caotsane’s family and extended family is dependent on him. “Without this, I won't be able to support them".

"People forget how important farms are," says farmer Jacques Moll, who owns a farm in Ficksburg.

"Our aim is to provide jobs. We have what we use as a facility where we are involved in tutoring learners. It is available to everyone in this community," he said.

He explained that the drought has had a financial effect on his business, more than anything.

"We are involved in beef cattle, and we do cropping where we plant maize. The biggest impact it's had over the past two years is financial. It's been a rolling effect for past two years. We don't know where where we're going to get the hectares to plant in the next few years. We have to buy from elsewhere. You impact a whole lot of people who sit without jobs and a community," he added.

The drought directly affects his workers heavily. "This reaches directly about 2 000 people who'd be affected by this. A lot of people have been reached through the farming ministry," Moll said.

They are a group of farmers in a business together but this doesn't really make a difference.

"We can think of new plans, using our resources in a different way. The cropping is the main business, as well as dairy, and the beef. The last five years, we've had one good crop," says Moll.

He explains what exactly it means to have rain.

"No rain would mean bankruptcy if this crop doesn't come off, the chances of us surviving are very similar," he said. The farmers grow their own food for the cattle.

While the drought has had its effect on Moll's farm, he does say that there are positives, which make it work during this tough time.

"There are major pros. We produce 20 000 tons of manure and we convert that into compost and that has a positive effect on our land," says Moll.

"Our dams have dried up and have very little water in them. We've spent half a million rand for the dairy. If these cows don't have water, there won't be cows."

If the rain does not happen as expected, he says laying people off would be the last option. "Our goal is to create work in the community," he concludes.

IOL

Lesego Makgatho

Zuma’s move: long-term effects

Drought hits farmers hard