The appeal by AgriSA at the weekend went out as thunderstorms across five provinces, which have been declared drought disaster zones, brought some reprieve from last week’s record-breaking heat when the mercury moved well above 40C in many parts of the country.

But the rain, which is expected to continue through the week, has caused extensive hail damage to crops and homes across Gauteng.

But, while farmers inland breathed a temporary sigh of relief because of the rain, those in KwaZulu-Natal are bracing for the worst. Rising temperatures have put the northern Umkhanyakude District Municipality – among the country’s poorest – in a dire situation.

Its citizens’ biggest water source, the Umfolozi River, has almost dried up, with children now playing soccer in it.

Spokesman Mduduzi Dlamini said the municipality had called for help from the national Department of Water Affairs. Six boreholes were being drilled to try to source water and wells were being dug into the river banks.

The wells provide 800,000 litres a day. The department is also providing water tankers to help the residents.

Dlamini said they were installing a bulk water pipeline to replace severely poorly maintained pipelines. One challenge was money, needed for bulk water infrastructure.

AgriSA launched the cut-grass campaign nationwide to get struggling farmers feed for their starving animals. The aim is to collect freshly cut grass from suburban homes and public places. The grass will be processed and packed into animal feed pallets and distributed to affected f armers. Schools will be used as collection points.

Dr Annelize Geldenhuys, who is behind Project Hope Grass, said: “The idea came when I realised how much fresh grass from lawns gets thrown away when it could be collected and turned into feed.

“One 50kg bag can feed a sheep for a month. This can go a long way in helping.”

If you want to donate grass, phone 083-696-0007 for more information

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http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2016/01/11/How-your-lawn-could-save-the-life-of-a-farm-animal