Free State MEC for Agriculture and Land Reform, William Bulwane, says the department has taken hands with the department responsible for roads and transport to help alleviate this pressing issue. 

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Some of the roads in the province, which were already damaged, were further damaged by continuous rainfall at the beginning of the year. This hampered farmers from taking their goods to the markets, as well as the ability of essential vehicles, such as ambulances, to reach certain communities.

Bulwane says that his department is thankful that the Department of Police, Roads and Transport has agreed to make money available in order to assist the Agriculture Department to fix damaged roads.

The MEC further added that the department has a relationship with local farmers and stated that farmers have been using their own resources such as graters and diesel to fix some of the roads. He says that the department has not yet met with farmers to discuss what the department will be doing for them in relation to their contributions that they have made in the province.

“But I think at one stage we need to sit down and see what it is that we can do for the farmers… They even approach me because of veld fires - they said to me: ‘there are many tankers in the army which are standing there rusting, why can’t we go to the army to request them to give us tankers so that we can make them work and have a fire fighting team?’

“So, they are trying on their own, they just need government [to help them] and that is what this budget is about... We want to help them feel that the government is on their side,” says Bulwane.

He further acknowledges the great work that local farmers are doing on a daily basis.

OFM News reported earlier that the community of Ficksburg in the province embarked on a protest to draw the local government’s attention making them aware of the condition of the roads in and around the town. 

Farmers, community members, and local business owners – which included taxi drivers – took hands to voice their concerns regarding the condition of especially the R26 road that stretches from Ladybrand to, among others, Bethlehem.

Friedl von Maltitz, a farmer and regional representative of Free State Agriculture (FSA), had told OFM News that the Ficksburg community were pleased with the response they have received from the local government following the protest. 

This, as the MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Sam Mashinini, visited Ficksburg to listen to residents' grievances about roads in the area.

In early April, road construction workers were deployed to the R26 road and the MEC had visited the road to observe whether progress is being made.

OFM News