Five farm workers died of heat stroke.
- Farmworker Dave Verster says heat strokes that killed five farmworkers were exacerbated by the loadslide.
- Doctors have confirmed that two farmworkers are still on ventilators.
- Authorities will visit farms to determine if farmers are complying with the law.
Farm worker Dave Verster experienced sweltering temperatures that resulted in heat stroke that claimed five lives in Kakamas, Northern Cape.
But while the heat was excessive, he said the rolling blackouts exacerbated the situation.
Said Verster: “The high temperatures reached as far as Springbok and as far as Upington. But the real problem is not the water, it’s load reduction, because without electricity we simply can’t pump water.”
On Friday, the Department of Employment and Labor and the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform said seven farmworkers died in Kakamas from suspected heat stroke.
However, spokesman for the provincial department, Zandisile Luphahla, told News24 on Sunday that doctors confirmed five people had died, while two others were on ventilators.
“They tell us that one is out [of hospital] and the other is still fighting for his life,” added Luphahla.
According to Verster, the average heat last Sunday started at around 40 degrees and rose steadily.
READ | Seven farmworkers succumb to heat stroke: Gift of Givers to the rescue in scorching Kakamas
“It’s sad because there was no electricity during those crucial hours when we were working. We were struggling to breathe,” he said.
Siyabonga Mpati, from the South African Weather Service in Bloemfontein, told News24 that the last heat wave advisory issued was until Wednesday, January 18.
“As it stands, for the next seven days, no city or town will meet the criteria for heat wave conditions,” he said.
“Over the past week or so, most heat wave conditions have been experienced in the ZF Mgcawu and Pixley ka Seme district townships. The town with the potential to face heat wave conditions is Augrabies Falls (local municipality of Kai! days [Sunday and Monday].”
Mpati added that temperatures for the North Cape over the next week were expected to be high (32-36°C) to very high (37-40°C).
A slight drop in temperatures (from 32 to 34 °C) is expected from Tuesday. However, no warning or advisory has yet been issued for the coming week.
Gift of the Givers spokeswoman Emily Thomas said they have learned that while there is enough water in Kakamas, the problem is that there are not enough tankers to get the water to JoJo’s various tanks.
“We also visited two patients in hospital who were being treated for dehydration. We are in talks with the authorities to see the long-term intervention of drilling wells in the area,” Thomas added.
On Monday, Employment and Labor Minister Thulas Nxesi and the MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform will visit local farms to determine whether farmers are adhering to the law.
