Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane met with citrus producing farmers from the Gamtoos River Valley region, earlier today. The meeting, which took place at the Sarah Baartman District offices in Gqeberha, sought to find solutions to the ongoing drought distress - that continues to threaten the sector, farm jobs, as well as the livelihoods of thousands in the region.

The meeting heard how the Kouga Dam, which in 2015 was overflowing at 100%, was now at a dangerous 4.4%. This despite painstaking efforts to conserve the critical resource of water, through restrictions on irrigation, as well as interventions by Government in digging boreholes in various areas of the region.

Premier Mabuyane undertook to have the matter urgently escalated to the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC), which coordinates the development, maintenance, and implementation and monitoring of the national infrastructure plan; as well as coordinates the determination of priorities for infrastructure development and designates strategic integrated projects (SIPS).

The Premier also directed the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR), to lead the setting up of a provincial technical team that would conduct a survey and draft solutions, which would be presented to national government.