Sol Plaatje must turn streetlights on for festive season
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is calling on the MEC of Agriculture, Norman Shushu, to ensure stronger oversight of the Kalahari Kid Corporation (KKC), following ongoing failures of this state owned entity, despite it recently having been recapitalized.
The DA has learnt that emerging farmers in the province, who were promised that they would each receive a small herd of goats to either start or grow their own goat cooperatives, have been deeply let down by the Kalahari Kid Corporation.
The upcoming farmers, who waited for months for the arrival of goat herds of fourteen ewes and one ram, were deeply let down when they received only nine goat ewes and one ram, that are so old that their teeth are falling out. These goats, delivered to them about two weeks ago, are in no way suitable to be used as breeding stock and are useless for goat farming purposes.
The delivery of these goats will do nothing to empower the emerging farmers. It will not assist them to have successful goat businesses; it will do nothing to generate an income for the farmers; and it will do nothing to stimulate the economy or create jobs. In effect, it is just a Christmas meat hamper dumped on aspiring farmers by the failing ANC government.
The DA is growing increasingly suspicious of how, and with whom, KKC is conducting business.
It was recently revealed during the Annual Report Presentation for 2017/2018, that KKC recorded a loss of 261 goats through mortalities, due to them having been deprived of water and feed while waiting to be transported to South Africa from Namibia. This is shocking and shows that health and safety standards are obviously being ignored by the entity. The DA previously requested answers with regards to the dead goats but has yet to receive a reply.
The DA wants to know from MEC Shushu, who remains accountable for KKC, from whom the toothless goats were procured and at what cost. We also want him to investigate the deaths of the 261 goats.
Clearly, all is not well at KKC. After fifteen failed years in existence, the extra cash injection they have received from the Agriculture Department still does not look set to propel them towards victory. This is tragic, given that the successful commercialization of the goat industry could by now have created thousands of jobs in the Northern Cape.
Only change under a DA-led government, that values our emerging farmers and wants to see them grow, will ensure that state resources are spent effectively towards empowering them and creating a booming agricultural industry in the Northern Cape.
Media Enquiries:
Andrew Louw
DA Northern Cape Premier Candidate
082 383 6914
Shelley De Witt
Researcher
082 847 1387
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