Citrus farmers in the Gamtoos River Valley are racing against time to protect their crops as another spell of heavy rain threatens to worsen the damage caused by devastating floods earlier this year.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Level 5 warning for disruptive and potentially damaging rainfall expected between Wednesday and Friday across parts of the Eastern Cape, including Kouga, Koukamma Municipality and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
The warning comes as farmers continue to recover from severe flooding in May, which damaged orchards, roads, bridges and critical agricultural infrastructure throughout the region.
The citrus industry, a major contributor to the local economy, remains among the hardest-hit sectors.
According to Agri Gamtoos vice-chairperson Grewar Oosthuizen, between 20% and 25% of the region’s citrus crop was affected by the floods, resulting in estimated losses of around R600 million this season.
“The percentage of the crop that was impacted is about 20 to 25%. And if we put a monetary value on that, you’re talking about R600 million in income losses for this season alone,” said Oosthuizen.
He said vegetable farmers suffered even greater losses, “We also have several large-scale vegetable farmers who supply and pre-pack produce for supermarkets, and their losses were extremely high, with up to 80% of crops destroyed,” he said.
With more rain forecast, farmers are working around the clock to harvest as much fruit as possible and reduce the risk of further losses.
Citrus farmer Waldo Kleyn said efforts are focused on salvaging crops and preparing infrastructure for the expected downpours.
“So, preparing for that weather, we try to pick as much as we can to get the fruit to the pack houses and see if we can at least save something. We are also clearing roads and removing debris left on bridges to prevent further chaos and additional damage to infrastructure,” said Kleyn.
Eastern Cape Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe urged residents, particularly those living in flood-prone areas, to take precautionary measures ahead of the expected rainfall.
“The only thing that we can advise communities on the warning of the rain that is coming in a few days, is for people to avoid being in low-lying areas. Even their livestock must be taken away from low-lying areas. For the fruit and the trees, we can only pray they don’t get damaged that much because there’s nothing we can do as they are fixed to the soil,” said Kontsiwe.
Kouga Municipality Mayor Hattingh Bornman warned that some areas remain vulnerable to flooding, especially where drainage systems have been affected by previous storms.
“We do expect certain areas to flood, specifically in towns where water is still standing or trapped. We are working hard to clear those areas, ensure stormwater systems are functioning and keep roads safe for motorists,” said Bornman.
Authorities are continuing to assess the full impact of the May floods, although some farms remain inaccessible due to damaged roads and infrastructure.
As another weather system approaches, farmers fear that fresh flooding could deepen losses already estimated in the hundreds of millions of rand and further delay recovery efforts across the region.
