Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Mabuyane, has officially gazetted the province as a drought disaster area.
The declaration was published on Tuesday following consultations with his provincial Executive Committee and now allows the province to access national funding.
Mabuyane says the declaration of the province as a drought disaster area acknowledges the depth of the crisis that the province finds itself in.
He told Algoa FM News that the situation has reached disastrous proportions in many parts of the province.
Mabuyane says government is also prioritizing drought relief to subsistence and commercial farmers, who are bearing the brunt.
He has also welcomed the involvement of the private sector, following a multi-million rand donation from Vodacom.
The bulk of this money will be spent in the Graaff Reinet area.
The Premier also urged local and district municipalities that are in dire straits to have their areas declared a disaster.
He says although he has gazetted the province as a disaster area, municipalities still have to follow due process in terms of the law.
To be legally compliant for the Auditor General's purposes on accountability one has to have the drought declared.
Earlier, Agri Eastern Cape president, Doug Stern, said district municipalities who have not been declared disaster areas should get their act together.
He says thus far only the Sarah Baartman and the Amathole Districts Municipality have been declared disaster areas, therefore they would be the only areas qualifying for financial aid.
