Northern Cape farmers on the banks of the Vaal River say some of their grazing lands are already flooded. This is after the Water and Sanitation Department opened 12 sluice gates at the Vaal Dam on Saturday.
“By the look of what is happening in front of me, it is very concerning. With the rapid rising of the water levels, we will have a problem. Our livestock is grazing next to the Vaal River, which is very, very concerning because already half of their grazing land is underwater, and by the look of things it’s only going to get worse. So my fear is we are going to have more wetlands than we will have grazing land.
Meanwhile, six families have been evacuated from the banks of the Lekwa River in Standerton following torrential rains. The families are receiving emergency help at the town’s community hall.