Some religious leaders &
members of the public believe solutions can't always be scientific.
JOHANNESBURG - As changing climate conditions intensify the effects of South Africa's drought, some people believe the lack of rain is a form of punishment.
On Wednesday, some communities around Johannesburg were left without water after reserves ran dry.
Joburg Water started dispatching water tankers to affected areas including Brixton, Greenside, Coronationville and other suburbs.
Some religious leaders and members of the public believe solutions to the current crisis aren't just scientific.
WATCH: Taps have run dry in some parts of Johannesburg, and residents now have to rely on water tankers in order to collect this precious resource.
"Nobody knows what to do for God to bring this rain. I think God is punishing us."
Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) President Kgosi Setlamorago Thobejane says indigenous African practices also have a place in addressing water shortages.
"If we were to be given space and given the necessary recognition, there's a role that we can still play."
Both men say the careless use of natural resources is finally catching up with South African society.
Meanwhile, muslim organisation, the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa is Muslims from around the country to arrange special mass prayers for rain.
Secretary general Moulana Ebrahim Bham said, "When we turn to the Almighty, it is important that we do so with a sense of introspection. To this end, it is essential that we seek forgiveness from our Creator and Sustainer."
HEIGHTENED RISK OF VELD FIRES ON FARMS
As municipalities in Gauteng make provisions for water, Agri SA says there's now a heightened risk of veld fires on farms in the country's drought-hit regions.
The Free State, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal have been declared disaster areas for water and Mpumalanga and the North West declared disaster areas for agriculture.
This makes farmers eligible for relief aid, but worsening weather conditions means even more money will be lost by the time the drought is over.
Agri SA President Johannes Möller says the knock-on effect of the water shortages is a bigger risk for farmers.
"It increased the veld fire hazard, but also the levels of underground water dropped. There's very little moisture in the soil. The risk has increased, not just for farmers being able to plant, but also for other disasters to follow."
Möller says that's because the provision of water for people and animals is more important than crops and irrigation schedules are significantly disrupted.
"Irrigation is responsible for about 25 percent of total agricultural production in South Africa. The moment dam levels drop, agriculture is the first to be hit with water restrictions."
WATCH: EWN takes a look at the struggle of wheat farmers endure against the drought. The knock-on effect can cause unemployment for some & eventually cut into consumer's pockets affecting the price of daily bread.
The City of Johannesburg has meanwhile implemented level two water restrictions and says it will now enforce the water services by-law.
The city says it received an urgent notice from Rand Water to start implementing control measures for water use.
Residents are encouraged to abide with these restrictions:
- Residents may not water or irrigate their gardens between 6am and 6pm or fill up their swimming pools.
- Hose pipes may also not be used to wash cars or paved areas.
- Although water will still be available around the clock, pressure in the city's taps will be reduced.
- If the situation worsens, more restrictions will be imposed, including supply cuts.
"God will punish you!"
This was the repeated scream of one of the victims of the alleged Midlands serial rapist as she broke down under cross-examination at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The 18-year-old girl, who began her testimony on Monday, cried hysterically yesterday. The court was forced to stand down to allow her to compose herself.
Seconds after Judge Ben van Heerden left the courtroom, the teen looked into the eyes of the man she claims raped her, pointed at him and shouted as loud as she could.
Faizel Mohamed Sayed, 36, is charged with five counts of kidnapping, 19 of rape, one of attempted rape, one of murder and three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
These charges include the kidnapping, rape and murder of nine-year-old Nombuso Nhlangulela.
Sayed has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, claiming consensual sex with all the complainants apart from Nhlangulela, of whom he has denied any knowledge.
As the teen screamed at Sayed, he stood up in the dock and called her a liar, prompting Correctional Services officials to take him back to the holding cells until court reconvened.
The teen said she had met Sayed in June last year. Under the pretext of offering her a job, he had lured her to a secluded area near Forest Hill Primary School, where he subjected her to indecent sexual acts before raping her so violently that she was hospitalised for three days.
Pastor Oscar Bougardt
Unrepentantly homophobic Cape Town pastor Oscar Bougardt is once again attacking the LGBTQ community, this time proclaiming that gays and lesbians are to blame for the city’s drought.
On Monday, Bougardt took to Facebook to expound his views on the pending disaster in the Mother City, which could see taps running dry in April.
He asserted that the drought was caused by God in judgment against the “perversion” of homosexuality.
“I believe that this drought is God divine judgement over a City of Cape Town that has turned against God and accepted the lifestyle of sodomites as normal. Couple of years ago I predicted that God will strike all countries and city who chose pervertion instead of the holy ways of God with natural disasters, it is happening right here at home.
“This is just the beginning, turn to God and let all these reprobates burn in hell,” he said. “Cape Town is the capital sodomite city of the world and it leaders are wicket, do not be surprise more natural disasters coming.”
Bougardt also claimed that last year’s fires that ravaged Knysna – which hosts the annual Pink Loerie LGBTQ festival – were also God’s revenge for it being a “gay city”.
He added: “Homosexuality is an abomination. We suffer because our leaders has accepted wickedness as normal. More disasters to follow, turn back to God wicked people.”
In it, he agreed to stop making discriminatory or hateful comments against the LGBTQ community. He also apologised and asked for forgiveness.
However, he soon after went back to attacking and demeaning LGBTQ people on social media and in the press, including making hateful comments on Mambaonline. Because he has blatantly failed to uphold the agreement, the SAHRC wants the pastor to be jailed for 30 days and fined R500,000.
In July 2017, Bougardt said that he “will never apologize for preaching God’s Word” and that “the SAHRC is being managed by a bunch of f*****s who are controlling them.”
The SAHRC is now waiting for the Equality Court to set a date for the proceedings.
Since at least 2011, Bougardt has conducted a vile campaign against the LGBTQ community, accusing gay people of being child molesters, of being sinful perverts and even appearing to call for their execution.
He has justified his hateful comments on the basis of his right to freedom of religion, stating that he is “Biblically mandated to preach against the homosexual lifestyle”.
Bougardt has aligned himself with American hate evangelist Steven Anderson; visiting him in the US, and promising to open branches of the banned preacher’s church in South Africa.
In December 2016, he told News24 “that 99% of the paedophiles have a homosexual background”. He then threatened to sue the site and other publications, including Mambaonline, for reporting this.
Update 2/02/2018: The post appears to have now been removed. Below is a screengrab.
Gov media manager on Cape drought: God, find another way of “punishing white people”
The
department of sport and recreation's Esethu Hasane has found himself on
the receiving end of AfriForum's wrath after seemingly mocking the
Western Cape's drought and making racially charged comments.
Image Credits:wiki
So Esethu Hasane, the media and communications
manager of the department of sport and recreation — yeah, Fikile
Mbalula’s department — took to Twitter to comment on the crippling
drought in the Western Cape; only, he felt the need to add that the
drought might be God’s way of punishing white people.