Proposed water use measures 'could impact food security'
Agri SA has warned the proposed water use measures by the Department of Water could threaten food security.
The farmers association has been reacting to new proposals, through draft regulations, that commercial farmers applying for a license to use water in excess of 250 000 cubic metres, 500 000 cubic metres or a million cubic metres annually, should have a black shareholding of either 25%, 50% or 75%.
Agri SA's Janse Rabie says while they understand that one of the department's mandate is to ensure transformation in the agricultural sector, this shouldn't happen at the expense of food security or in a way that restricts white commercial farmers further.
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"One of the provisions of the National Water Act says the Department of Water and Sanitation needs to look at a number of factors, 11 of them in fact, one of them being addressing the past racial injustices.
"But it also needs to look at existing law for water users, investments that were made.
"What these regulations are actually saying is that they are placing Broad-Based Economic Empowerment or transformational imperatives above all the other gender requirements and that's where the concerns lie."
