Ettiene van Wyk says it’s hard to accept that government revoked the classification of drought as a national disaster.
It isn’t always easy nor pleasant, but God’s plan is always the better and best plan, both for my life and business.”
Ettiene van Wyk, a Northern Cape sheep farmer, says although he often feels defeated by the drought-ravaged region in which he farms, he simply has to push forward. This after government recently revoke the classification of drought as a national disaster – a move that has stunned the agricultural sector.
“It is hard to accept,” he tells Food For Mzansi, exhausted after three years of battling the worst drought in a century. “I foresee a difficult path ahead for us, as farmers, here in the province. Without government support it will be difficult to survive the drought.”
Van Wyk (35) farms in Marydale on a 3 800 hectare farm. When he first received land from government in 2015 through a long-term lease, there was no water nor electricity. Yet, the Grootfontein Agricultural College alumnus embraced the opportunity and quickly turned his farm into an agricultural success story.
