Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation, Sputnik Ratau, says Minister Lindiwe Sisulu recently met with the Premier of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuane, to discuss a comprehensive approach by government to deal with the water situation in affected towns. The worst affected towns include Butterworth and Queenstown. This comes after the Eastern Cape was declared a drought disaster area. Ratau says after the declaration the National Disaster Management Centre is on board. Ratau says farmers need to realise the importance of reducing the demand for water resources while new technologies that can be helpful to reduce this demand need to be explored.

The global animal welfare organisation, Four Paws, calls on the European Commission to investigate an incident in which a ship transporting live sheep from Romania to Saudi Arabia, capsized. The organisation also calls on the commission to advocate for an outright ban of long-distance live animal exports. MJ Lourens, head of communication at Four Paws South Africa, says the organisation's Romanian partner, the animal welfare organisation ARCA, is currently on-site in Constanta to assist in rescuing 14 000 trapped sheep in the capsized ship. He says the team has been able to enter the ship and managed to rescue several sheep from a slow death. Although the situation is extremely difficult the team continues their efforts to rescue as many animals as possible. According to him, more than three million live animals are transported from the European Union to other countries every year. He says despite strict rules mass deaths like this are becoming more common. This sad incident shows that European countries need to stop exporting live animals.

AND

The Freedom Front Plus has expressed its shock in the rejection of its motion in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) about the murder of a farmer this week on his farm in the Wolmaransstad area. This wile other motions condemning murders were accepted. Fanie du Toit, Freedom Front Plus MP from the North West, says in the motion, the Freedom Front Plus referred to the incident in which Schalk van der Merwe was attacked and killed on Sunday, while his wife, Lettie, was seriously injured. Du Toit says it was requested in the motion that the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, and the MECs for public safety in all provinces take note and prioritise crime prevention to ensure the safety of all in South Africa. According to Du Toit, the ANC and the EFF unanimously rejected the motion with interjections about land ownership. He says it is shocking and unacceptable that the murder of a farmer does not elicit sympathy from members of the ruling party and the EFF.

OFM-nuus