Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson was overwhelmed by what she saw when she flew over flooded farm land along the Vaal River in Northern Cape and North West.
"I am devastated," she said, after flying over Douglas, Prieska and Warrenton in Northern Cape, and Christiana, in North West, to assess the damage caused by heavy rains.
The inter-ministerial disaster management team would meet soon to discuss the flooding, she said .
It is estimated that 20000ha of agricultural land is under water.
There are concerns that the extent of the flooding will lead to an increase in food prices and loss of jobs on farms because employers' livelihoods have been ruined .
The defence force was on stand-by to assist with flood relief in Northern Cape at the weekend.
Spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the defence force rescued 11 people in the Keimoes area on Friday and had distributed 27 food parcels.
MPs to grill education leader
THE Department of Basic Education and its exams quality assurer, Umalusi, will be put to the test when parliament re-opens this week.
It is not known whether Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will show up for questioning in parliament on Wednesday or will send her director-general, Bobby Soobrayan.
Though pupils' organisations and political parties have welcomed the 7.2% increase in the matric pass rate, questions have been asked about how and why Umalusi adjusted some of the results.
Umalusi said last week that marks were lowered or increased for 19 of the 58 subjects.
But it has refused to disclose the subjects affected, how the marks were altered or why.
Umalusi's CEO, Mafu Rakometsi, claimed that the information could not be made public on the grounds that it was confidential and highly complex.
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