Tourist Visits to Madagascar Help Conserve Some Forests, but Others Suffer: Study Suggests What to Do
Madagascar’s protected area forests have 2.5km buffer zone forests surrounding them that also need urgent protection.
agriculture
Free State Budget: Wage Bill Comprises 65%
The Free State’s budget for the 2026/27 financial year clearly shows that government’s first priority is not developing the province, but keeping the public service afloat. ’n An eye-watering 65% of the provincial budget goes to salaries, while the sectors that truly drive economic growth are neglected. Agriculture – central to food security and job […]
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US’s Section 301 Investigation Confirms Freedom Front Plus’s Warnings About Dangers of ANC’s Reckless Foreign Policy
The announcement by the United States (US) that it will conduct a Section 301 investigation into South Africa (and 59 other countries) to probe possible unacceptable labour practices in the manufacture of trade goods is a clear sign that Washington’s patience with the ANC is finally running out. Section 301 allows the US to impose […]
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Hunger Crisis Is Set to Get Worse in West and Central Africa – Why and What to Do About It
Millions of people in west Africa and the Sahel region face starvation.
Central Karoo Lags Behind Western Cape’s Progress
Teenage pregnancy, low birth weights, and high neonatal mortality plague the areas around Beaufort West and Laingsburg
Mpumalanga Deserves Tangible Steps, Not Promises
Mpumalanga Premier Mr Mandla Ndlovu’s R238 billion investment plan sounds impressive, but the grim reality on grass-roots level remains unchanged. Grand promises have been made for years, but were never followed by tangible improvements. Mpumalanga can no longer afford lip service, but urgently needs promises to be delivered on. Every time major plans are announced […]
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But Does It?
Women farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have had to abandon their fields because the government has failed to maintain irrigation systems built in the apartheid era.
Premier Should Use SOPA to Demonstrate That Residents Come First
With his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on 5 March, Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu should demonstrate that residents’ concerns come first, and not the ANC’s interests. The challenges communities face daily can no longer be ignored. These include residents’ safety and security, the province’s economic stability and the people’s future. Pressing issues that warrant […]
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Political Oversight Crucial in Foot-And-Mouth Disease Crisis
The role of political oversight is often underestimated, but it is a vital instrument for holding the executive accountable, monitoring action and intervening where capacity is lacking. Oversight is not merely an administrative process, but an essential mechanism to ensure that policy is effectively implemented and that failures are remedied. The Freedom Front Plus (VF […]
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Killer Beetles in the Baobabs: Researcher Warns of Risk to African Trees
A beetle that lays eggs inside the bark of trees has killed six baobab trees in Oman for the first time. Urgent measures are needed to stop it spreading to Africa.
Foot-And-Mouth Disease Poll Reveals Complete Loss of Confidence
A recent poll conducted by the agricultural organisation Saai among farmers on the foot-and-mouth disease crisis unequivocally shows that farmers have completely lost confidence in the Department of Agriculture’s bureaucratic as well as political leadership. This should spark renewal within the department. The poll, with more than 2 000 individual participants, shows that 95% or […]
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Waltloo Garden Refuse Transfer Station Closed Following Complaints
The closure of the Waltloo Garden Refuse Transfer Station in Eersterust, Pretoria, is seriously detrimental and encourages illegal dumping. The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) visited the site following numerous complaints from residents and owners of garden services. The visit revealed workers in orange uniforms sitting and chatting under a tree, while the gate was […]
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Much Like Zuma’s 2014 SONA, President Ramaphosa Tries to Tell a “Good Story”, While Country Collapses
President Cyril Ramaphosa borrowed a page from former President Jacob Zuma’s 2014 State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight by boasting about the country’s “good story”. President Ramaphosa delivered his speech in his capacity as President of South Africa, but he remains President of the ANC. And wherever his party governs – in councils, provinces […]
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Limpopo Farmers Go Hungry After Floods
One farming cooperative estimates their losses to be up to R350,000
A Deeply Concerning Picture of Administrative Decline and a Complete Failure to Serve
Mpumalanga’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs’ latest quarterly report for 2025/26 paints a deeply concerning picture of administrative decline and a complete failure to serve the people of the province. With irregular expenditure already amounting to approximately R42 million, it is clear that legal prescripts and procurement processes are routinely violated. […]
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Minister of Agriculture Unexpectedly Removes Expert From Ministerial Task Team
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) notes with shock that the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, has terminated the membership of the prominent veterinarian, Dr Danie Odendaal, on the ministerial task team for state-controlled diseases. In a letter to Odendaal, Steenhuisen states that he regrets to note that Odendaal has not yet signed the […]
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The Cost of Racial Targets Becomes Clear When a Mere 13 000 Vaccines for 15 Million Cattle Gets Government Jumping for Joy
(Dr Wynand Boshoff, Freedom Front Plus MP and chief spokesperson on agriculture, provides an overview of factors that contributed to the development of the current foot-and-mouth disease crisis) If anything underscores the inadequacy of government’s response to the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, it is last week’s proud announcement that the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) was able […]
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Cape Town Project Tests What Hydroponic Farming Can Do in Urban Spaces
Hydroponic farming is a good way to grow fresh fruit and vegetables in South African cities where high levels of unemployment and poverty make these unaffordable.
Cape Town’s Water Use Remains Too High Despite Day Zero Lessons
The city consumes over a billion litres per day, equating to over 210 litres per person, well above the world average of 120 to 160 litres
Foot-And-Mouth Disease: While Minister Bickers About State Control, Rural Economies Grind to a Halt
While the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, is defending government’s exclusive right to procure and administer foot-and-mouth disease vaccines in court, the economic crisis affecting rural communities keeps expanding. Most rural towns are primarily sustained by agriculture. Rural economies consist mainly of input suppliers, businesses that receive and process agricultural products, financial and personal […]
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Indigenous Trees Might Be the Secret to Climate Resilient Dairy Farming in Benin, Says This New Study
Benin’s smallholder dairy farmers need development finance to plant shady trees on the land where their cattle graze, to improve cattle health.
Global Demand for Shea Butter Is Growing: But It’s Not All Good News for the Women Who Collect the Nuts
Competition for shea trees is rising in west Africa, leaving the poorest women collectors with less access and fewer gains.
How Informal Businesses Are Reduced to Rubble
The rules make it almost impossible to run an informal business legally
Foot-And-Mouth Disease: Immediate Action Needed in the Free State
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) provincial leader, Jan van Niekerk, and the Harrismith district farmers’ association met with the Free State MEC for Agriculture, Ms Elzabé Rockman, as well as key role players in the agricultural sector, including Dr Jurgens Barnard, Acting Director of State Veterinary Services, on Wednesday. The constructive discussion centred on […]
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