Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM:

1. The verification of the reported fire damages has been completed. The validation process is scheduled for the end of May 2026. The Department will initially focus on the Overberg region as 72% of the damages occurred in this region. Agricultural areas were affected, but to a lesser extent than initially estimated. Significant hectares of natural veld were burnt, and several houses located close to the towns were impacted.
2. The Department is working closely with Organised Agriculture and Fire Protection Associations across the Province to implement fire risk‑reduction initiatives. These initiatives include the removal of invasive alien species (R51,785 million in the 2025/26 financial year), the establishment and maintenance of fire breaks, and the provision of fire‑related training. Furthermore, an addition R20 million over the next three financial years have been allocated to the removal of invasive alien plants in areas where the fires occurred. To ensure the sustainability of efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of fires within the agricultural sector, the Department continues to place emphasis on proactive risk‑reduction interventions.
3. In terms of the draft National Disaster Framework, only infrastructure-related damages incurred by farmers, in this case fencing, are eligible for support or disaster relief. Losses related to crops and other non-infrastructure damages are expected to be addressed through insurance mechanisms. Consequently, no financial assistance has been provided for these losses. The validation process, scheduled to at the end of May 2026, will focus exclusively on farmers who sustained infrastructure damage (fencing).
4. As at  21 April 2026, there are  78 respondents on the Fire-App.