Flood-hit Cape farmers call for a state of disaster

Western Cape farmers are calling for a state of disaster to be declared - after unprecedented flood waters ravaged crops, washed away roads, swept away shacks, and destroyed infrastructure. One of those farmers is Justin Mudge, the owner of Chiltern Farms, who says they “desperately require intervention”. He speaks to BizNews of the destruction, displacement, devastation, and desperation in the area. Mudge describes how generators have run non-stop since Sunday to keep cool half a billion rands worth of fruit in cold storage that still needs to be packed for export. He describes how workers from the informal settlement had all their possessions swept away by the raging storm waters. And warns that some farmers will find it very hard to recover from the significant damage.