Drought Deepens in South Africa
Under a midmorning sun that augured punishing heat later in the day, a handful of cows stood still inside a small pen, their ribs protruding. Too weak to reach the nearest grassy field some miles away, some munched on tall grass that their owner had cut from a strip of land along the highway, in a desperate attempt to save his cattle from the drought afflicting the land.
The owner, T. J. Koee — a former miner and a full-time cattle farmer for the past 16 years — listed the drought’s toll this year: 19 dead cows, 38 left, none sold. Last year, he sold 17 calves, earning enough to support his family and send two of his children to college.
StormSignal