As you pray...
Dear friends
As some of you are aware nearly seven years ago shortly after we came to Onseepkans I was elected as chairman of the Irrigation Board. The Irrigation Board is an entity that is responsible for overseeing the management of the local ground irrigation canal as well as the collection of the water tax from the farmers. The local ground canal is crucial for agricultural activities in Onseepkans.
When I became chairman of the Irrigation, the ground canal was completely dry due to mismanagement because of lack of funds. No farmer could pay their taxes since all agricultural activities were impossible due to a lack of water. At that point in time the Department of Agriculture, a government department, promised the farmers of Onseepkans a new irrigation system, and we could choose between a concrete canal or a pipeline with water under pressure, with a solar pump system and a dam. The community by large chose a concrete canal, but unfortunately, over a period of three years we were forced to accept the pipeline option. It has now been more than six years since the government announced that we will get a new irrigation system, and even up till now it still has not been completed. The latest end of construction date that we received from the engineers is an end of 2019, a date that has been continuously postponed the past few years.
In the past few years two times I managed to secure funds for the cleaning of the canal, both in 2013 and again in 2015. I was chairman of the Irrigation Board until beginning 2018 when a new interim Irrigation Board was elected and again they elected me as the chairman. Since 2012 numerous agricultural enterprises were started in Onseepkans, including an NGO from Spain (The Spanish Foundation), who planted Lucerne and also established community garden projects.
Now once again all initiatives are in jeopardy again, due to the fact that the new irrigation system is not yet in operation and none of the big private enterprises in the region, including the mines and the solar farms, have yet indicated that they would be willing to assist us again.
The irrigation canal is the lifeline of Onseepkans. Farming activities, households, government departments all depend on the canal to function properly. Without the canal, all economic growth comes to a standstill.
Please pray for the following
- That God will work in the hearts of those that make decisions on behalf of the private enterprises, to assist us with emergency funding of R50 000 to do crisis maintenance on the canal. This will be until such time as we get long-term solutions for the next year or two as we wait for the new irrigation system to be in operation. Such crisis management includes labor wages for cutting reeds in the canal as well as chemical control of the growth of water grass and reeds.
- That God will work in the hearts of the local community members as I challenge them to not only wait until someone else fix their problems but also to take responsibility themselves by cleaning the canal in front of their irrigation fields.
- That God will grant me wisdom, patience and dependence on the guiding of His Holy Spirit as I deal with the community, different farmers and agricultural initiatives that are dependent on the canal for the success of their enterprises, the engineers responsible for the implementation of the new irrigation system, Department of Agriculture, Department of Water Affairs, political parties that want to get involved in the situation for their own political gain, the Irrigation Board and the management thereof.
- Please pray that God’s righteousness will prevail in all the chaos surrounding the canal and the new irrigation system, but also that God’s love will shine on those role players involved to bring them in a personal relationship with Him. In my interaction over the past few years with all these role players I had numerous opportunities to pray at meetings and testify to individuals.
- Please pray that somehow in all this God’s Name would be glorified.
We value your prayers!
