LIMPOPO – This is according to the Premier, Stanley Mathabatha as he outlined the effect on the drought, days after the Limpopo Economic Summit at The Ranch Resort over the weekend.
The summit also came against the backdrop of the province’s failure to achieve a fraction of its economic development target in the first quarter of this financial year.
According to statistics released by Mathabatha’s office, unemployment in the province currently stands at 18,9%. Under Mathabatha’s tutelage, local government was able to create 15, 725 working opportunities in the first quarter of the financial year.
The number is, however, against the province’s annual target of 143, 150 created working opportunities.
Mathabatha, who has been in office since 2012 said continuing water shortages negatively impacted on the province’s labour absorption capacity in the mining sector.
“Mining is not able to create the requisite number of jobs as a result of the lack of sufficient water infrastructure,” Mathabatha told CV.
“Limpopo, like any other province is a water-scarce region. If the drought continues, there will be no mining activities taking place in the province. That means our people would be jobless and poverty would be the name of the game.”
In terms of agriculture, Mathabatha said Limpopo is a rural province and the majority of people depend mainly on farming.
If the drought continues, crops and animals would die and there would be acute joblessness in this sector.
The only economic pillar where Limpopo is still doing well, according to Mathabatha, is tourism.
Mathabatha added the majority of tourists still visited exuberant tourism centres in the province such as the Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe and the Modjajdi Dynasty’s Cycad Forest.
The MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Azwindini Ndou said the majority of dam levels in the province were depleting at a shocking pace, posing a danger to society.
From Lepelle Northern Water, Phineas Legodi said water infrastructure projects in Limpopo were ready for any possible rains this summer.
Legodi said water infrastructure is able to handle any rainfall and subsequent water reticulation as and when the rain comes.
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‘Severe consequences if drought persists’
The chronic shortage of water has negatively impacted the province’s three main economic pillars, namely mining, agriculture and tourism.
