The Hon MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Zoleka Capa will mark the Mandela Day by helping poor people to put food on their tables, something Madiba is continuously preaching – he would love to see a Rainbow Nation where all the people are developed and can fend for themselves.
The hand over Siyazondla Homestead Gardens Programme starter packs which include garden tools, fencing material, seeds, wheelbarrows, irrigation pumps, watering cans and water tanks to the hunger-stricken Peddie communities is a befitting honour to the man who stands for poverty alleviation.
The Siyazondla programme is aimed at encouraging rural people, with emphasis on women to plough their backyard gardens and it has had positive spinoffs in assisting the poor, vulnerable and food insecure households.
MEC Capa who is the Provincial Champion of Poverty Alleviation has an ambition of seeing people ploughing every arable land and this programme, which helps poor households to produce their own food by providing infrastructure (fencing), training, start-up inputs and implements is assisting in realising that deliverable.
Since the inception of the Siyazondla Programme in 2005, the department has provided thousands of communities with agricultural starter-packs comprising wheelbarrows, water tanks, spades, forks, seeds and seedlings, fertilizers, insecticides, Irrigation pipes, garden fencing and water harvesting equipment.
The provision of basic agriculture infrastructure and implements and inputs has made a big contribution towards the creation of vibrant livelihoods in the past years and has been part of the projects that are at the centre of our broader sustainable food security programme.
The MEC, Superintendent-General, management and extension officers will respect the 67 minutes, attached to the Mandela Day by getting dirty while planting of vegetables in one of the beneficiaries garden and she will take an extra added time to visit Mzomhle School for the Disabled where the department is investing in food garden and skills development.
At least 20 households will benefit, which roughly translate to about 100 family members set to benefit directly benefit from the gardens and people will be employed to fence the gardens as the MEC strongly state that communities should erect their own fences and get wages instead of using service providers.
Members of the media are hereby invited to witness the honouring of Madiba’s birthday by doing what is close to his heart by fighting poverty and starvation.
Details of the Mandela Day event:
Venue: Upper Gwalana Village, Peddie
Date: 18 July 2011
Time: 09h00
Enquiries:
Thozi Manyisana
Cell: 082 494 3600
Ayabulela Ngoqo
Cell: 071 603 3235
