South Africa to Boost Funding for Drought Relief, Ramaphosa Says

(Bloomberg) --

South African disaster-management authorities are working with local governments to find more money to help farmers affected by drought, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

This year the state provided 260 million rand ($18 million) to help offset the effects of the dry spell, Ramaphosa said in his weekly statement. South Africa is in the midst of a decade-long drought that has left average dam levels at about 58% of capacity, he said.

Read more: South Africa Unveils $61 Billion Plan to Tackle Water Shortages

“Given the severity of the crisis, this amount is woefully inadequate,” Ramaphosa said. “Disaster Management is working with provinces and municipalities to see how they can reprioritize their budgets for relief and recovery.”

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