Operational manager of the Free State Umbrella Fire Protection Association, Jan de Villiers, tells OFM News that the probability of veld fires are higher than usual for the rest of the week, between Tuesday 3 August and Sunday 8 August. He says that the high fuel load in the province may lead to runaway veldfires and that all necessary precautions should be taken to prevent or contain any veld fires. De Viliers says that work with machinery that could cause a spark should be minimised as much as possible and that fire extinguishing equipment should be kept on site as possible contingency methods. He adds that farmers, land owners and people should be cognisant of anything they do that could start a fire and that any necessary resource should be on standby to contain possible fires.

The South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association, known as SA Hunters, has formally submitted their comment regarding the controversial draft of the Firearms Amendment Bill published during May 2021. According to a SA Hunter’s statement, the CEO of SA Hunters, Fred Camphor, says that there are numerous proposed amendments to the Firearms Control Act that are impractical and unfair to farmers, hunters and anyone looking to own a firearm. He says that the current legislation is also already complex, which leads to taxing administrative work for SAPS in terms of ensuring compliance, according to the statement. He adds that some of the concerns SA Hunters have are the amendments that speak on removing the right to own a firearm for self-defence, changing competency compliance for firearm ownership, and prohibiting firearm owners from reloading the ammunition of their firearms for their own use, among others. He says that SA Hunters are keeping a close eye on the situation and will continue to protect the rights of people who legally own firearms.

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The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture has put in exceptional work to conduct webinars directed towards women’s transformation in the agricultural, environmental and conservation sector. Speaking to OFM News, departmental spokesperson, Zandilsile Luphahla, says that they have reached their half-way point and are excited to share the progress they’ve made thus far. He says that the departmental MEC, Mase Manopole, is spearheading this initiative and is eager to listen to the needs of women in the agricultural sector.

OFM News/Lee Simmons