“The now repaired windmills have low maintenance units which do not need oil to run, but instead, operate with sealed bearings. They do not use old hand breaking system to slow their pace when the wind is strong, but use automatic breaking system when the wind exceeds 56 kilometres an hour”.
This is how MEC for North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Boitumelo Tshwene is explaining the shape of the repaired windmills in Ngaka Modiri Molema district.
MEC Tshwene says water problems for livestock which came out clearly during his first meeting with livestock farmers soon after his appointment as the Member of Executive Council responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development in 2009, will soon be a thing of the past if anything is to go by, as his Department has embarked on a water reticulation project with the focus on repairing damaged windmills as one way of curbing the ever surging problem of drinking water for livestock.
Since water source is a basic requirement for the best possible production of any farmer, windmills have over many years served as supplementary source of water for most farmers in the rural villages.
The department has thus far spent over R700 000 from the Drought Relief programme to repair dysfunctional windmills in Ramotshere Moiloa, Ditsobotla, Mafikeng and Ratlou local municipalities, and it is the intention of the department to extend this service to other areas of the province in the next coming years.
The Ga-Motlatla community in Ditsobotla local municipality is the recent beneficiary of this project.
Chief Dikeledi Serobatse of Bafokeng ba Ga-Motlatla expressed her gratitude on behalf of the community, congratulating the department for its prompt response to their request. “The water problem we have been experiencing all along will now be lessened and we will no longer share water with our livestock any more”, she excitedly said.
These sentiments were shared by Ga-Motlatla farmers whose chairperson Motshologi Lekgetho articulated farmers’ delight and appreciation over the department’s resolve to illustrate its commitment towards rural development.
MEC Boitumelo Tshwene says his department’s position of developing infrastructure in the rural areas to further improve farming in the province will not be compromised, saying more money will be requested to ensure that all farmers in the province benefit for this water reticulation process.
MEC Tshwene urged farmers to jealously guard against vandalising these repaired windmills, emphasising that after a period of a year, beneficiaries will be responsible for their upkeep.
