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Johannesburg - Developing farmers were the worst victims of the floods that have hit various parts of the country following heavy rains over the past two weeks, a parliamentary committee said on Monday.
"Some are unable to continue repaying loans to the banks such as the Land Bank and other financial institutions that support farmers," chairperson of the portfolio committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Salamuddi Abram, said.
In a statement issued following the committee's visit to the Northern Cape province on Sunday, Abram said overflow of the Orange River had caused more damage than the rain.
"The damage includes the erosion of vineyards and livestock leaving more than 24 000 farm workers of commercial and developing farmers without work as there is no production," said Abram.
The committee has asked the Northern Cape agriculture department to submit a report about the damage caused by floods, while the ministry of agriculture works on an assistance plan.
The ministry promised that the plan would be finalised before the end of this week.
Northern Cape is one of the eight provinces covering 33 municipalities that were declared disaster areas by the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs on January 17.
The other provinces are the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.
More rain
Due to heavy rains, government was closely monitoring the rise in water levels in four of the country's largest dams.
Five flood gates had been opened in the Vaal Dam, which was 99% full on Monday afternoon, spokesperson Linda Page said in a statement.
This brought the outflow of the dam to 600m³/s, from the 400m³ reported earlier on Monday.
Bloemhof Dam was currently 96% full, with an outflow of 200m³/s.
The outflow would be increased to 400m³ by Monday afternoon and would rise to 1 000m³ by Tuesday morning.
The Gariep Dam was 109% full with the outflow at 1 200m³/s.
"At the Vanderkloof Dam, the capacity is currently at 110%, the inflow is 1 400m³/s and the outflow is 1 650m³/s," said Page.
The department would increase the outflow of the dam to 1 700m³/s.
The predicted flow in the Lower Orange River was 3 150m³/s.
In the Free State three people drowned while crossing an overflowing bridge during the weekend.
Police divers retrieved the body of one of the three men who were washed away while crossing the Kromellnboog river on horse cart.
One of the men survived the incident, while police were still searching for the third man.
In a separate incident in the same area on Saturday, a 60-year-old woman drowned while crossing a bridge near the Itumeleng township on Saturday.
Her body was later discovered in the valley where the water leads, Free State police spokesperson Captain Thandi Mbabo said.
Authorities warned the public not to cross rivers as the "current is too heavy for them to handle especially if they cannot swim".
Weather SA has issued a warning for more heavy rains in the province as well as in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo provinces.
