Roasted alive - heavy losses as fire hits small farmers
2005-03-09
THE smell of burning flesh hung over the Vlakkeland pig sties last week - as heavy as the hearts of the small farmers who had lost their livelihood to the flames.
An unknown herdsman, who was trapped in the sea of flames surrounding his makeshift home among the animals, died in hospital on Monday.
The fire that swept through the pig sties on Thursday night, had started in the animal minder’s tin shack.
“He had most probably fallen asleep with a fire still lit,” Joseph Naudé of Paarl East said.
Naudé, who was on site to mind his pigs during the night, noticed the smoke billowing from the shack.
His son Kevin assisted in smashing the locked shanty door and dragged the injured man to safety. He was disorientated from smoke inhilation and had suffered severe burns.
“We managed to free six of our 28 sows, but it was terrible hearing and seeing the animals burn. The fire was just too hot, and the wind just too strong to save all the pigs.”
Naudé lost 22 sows and more than 50 piglets. All the animals in the plots belonging to Japie Kok of Groenheuwel and Sodyesi Tothile of Mbekweni, were lost.
The blaze was contained before it spread to engulf the entire cluster of sheds and shacks east of Jan van Riebeeck Drive between Paarl and Wellington.
Farmers applauded the Drakenstein firemen and their colleagues from the district municipality who were called to truck water to the scene to douse the flames.
“We have had no water here for a very long time,” Naudé said.
“The Municipality cut the supply last year because of the overdue account. Since then we fetch and carry water for our animals.”
Thousands of pigs, goats and cows, the property of 125 small farmers, graze on the 36 hectare municipal land and are penned there overnight.
Potential small farmers pay R350 to register with the Berg River Small Farmers' Association before being allocated a 20x20m plot for their pig sties.
Thereafter they owe the municipality R70 a month for leasing the land.
“We have been waiting for years to hear about the decision on land permanently available for the small farmers,” Naudé said.
D-day was in January this year.
When Naudé and his four sons registered for plots three years ago, the small farmers’ outstanding water account was already R30 000.
“Even though we and some others paid our share of the water, the bill still ran up to R50 000 in the middle of last year, and the water supply was cut.
“Meanwhile it looks more like a squatter camp here every day,” Naudé said.
“All the animal owners have herdsmen living here. I don’t have many pigs left, but I will stay here to guard my corrugated iron sheets. I will have to rebuild my life.”
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