Maape said about R13 billion had been allocated to upgrade 39 roads in the province. These projects will be implemented during the 2023/24 financial year.

Farmer’s Weekly’s editor Janine Ryan adds that this is an addition to the R1.3 billion for the upgrading and maintenance in the current financial year.

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However, Agri North West added that he hoped the funds would be spent judiciously and the contracts would be awarded to experienced contractors.

Another story looks at the rainfall in the southern region, which has resulted in many South African dams overflowing in most provinces, except the Western Cape, a winter rainfall region.

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s state of reservoirs report was released during the last week of February 2023.

ALSO READ: North West floods: Lehari cautions motorists

The report indicated that most dams in provinces were at least 100% full. Dams in KwaZulu-Natal were at 94% full, while Limpopo and North West dams were at 91% and 88% of capacity, respectively.

Ryan says dams in the Free State, Eswatini, Gauteng, Lesotho, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape were more than 105% full on average.

Furthermore, Farmer’s Weekly also takes a look at the military exercises that South Africa staged with China and Russia on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal late last month. This has sparked concern that the US Congress might rescind South Africa’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), if the relationship between Pretoria and Washington DC deteriorates further.

Ryan says the AGOA agreement is a critical piece of US legislation that permitted a range of exports from eligible Sub-Saharan countries, including South Africa, into the US duty-free.

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