Extreme weather events in the Eastern Cape Province result in crop damage and threaten life and property. The South African Weather Service in 2004 secured Poverty Alleviation Funds from the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism and the Eastern Cape Provincial Government. The funds were used to install five semi-automatic weather stations in Mazeppa Bay, Butterworth, Mt. Fletcher, Coffee Bay and Cofimba and a weather radar at Highbury Trust Farm in Mthatha The selection of the five automatic weather station sites was informed by gaps identified in the observations network of the South African Weather Service. The South African Weather Service has since then been developing Memoranda of Understanding with all the communities to detail a mutually beneficial relationship with the community to compensate for land use and the security provision for the meteorological equipment. Semi-automatic weather stations are used to collect weather observations in remote areas. The high quality weather data which is collected by these instruments is transmitted via cellphone technology to the Headquarters in Pretoria where forecasts and other weather information is prepared. The weather radar is used to observe cloud development and motion remotely over a radius of approximately 300km. The radar is particularly useful for the identification of small-scale weather systems that are sometimes not clearly visible from weather satellite imagery. The Highbury radar covers a large area extending to parts of Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the adjacent Indian Ocean shore. Contact detail: Pot Elizabeth Weather Office: 041 5811476 Weatherline: 082 162 Website: www.weathersa.co.za