Devastating Langkloof Storms

Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Agriculture:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) tabled a notice of motion in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature yesterday, demanding that a Provincial State of Disaster be declared for the Langkloof region following the catastrophic storms of February.

The scale of the damage has left one of the Eastern Cape’s most vital agricultural hubs on the brink of ruin. With fruit orchards destroyed and rural livelihoods under immense pressure, the continued lack of a clear provincial response has deepened the uncertainty for farmers, workers, and the wider agricultural economy.

For families in the Langkloof, this crisis impacts jobs on farms, work in packhouses, transport activity, and income across the local rural economy.

In response to a parliamentary question from the DA, Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe confirmed that the Department’s hailstorm damage assessment was limited to a small handful of farms in Krakeel and Joubertina, specifically visiting Suurberg Lindoor Family Farming, Leeuw Boerdery Trust, and Tulpieskraal Workers Trust.

The same reply confirms that the Department has not ring-fenced emergency funding for this disaster, as its 2% disaster allocation was already depleted by interventions related to the June 2025 floods and the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.

MEC Kontsiwe said further funding options would only be explored with Provincial Treasury once the damages report was finalised.

The DA has previously written to the MEC calling for provincial assistance and for the necessary processes to be initiated to support a disaster declaration. Since no response has been forthcoming, we have now decided to table the motion.

The motion, which will be debated at a later stage, demands that a provincial state of disaster be declared for the affected areas, that the full damage assessment report be tabled publicly, and that the Department return to the Langkloof to conduct a comprehensive assessment involving all affected stakeholders, including commercial farmers who were previously excluded.

The Langkloof is the heartbeat of our deciduous fruit industry. A fragmented response that excludes commercial stakeholders and major parts of the agricultural economy is a recipe for long-term economic failure. Every day of government delay carries a direct cost for every worker, producer, and rural family in the region.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve a government that responds when livelihoods are under threat, and that understands that delay carries a cost for every worker, producer, and rural family affected by this disaster.