The local community and learners came in numbers to Dulumbe primary school despite heavy rains to witness a momentous occasion when Amangcolosi Community Trust handed over five new classrooms to the Dulumbe Primary school. The classrooms cost R1 million and R10 000.
The Amangcolosi Community Trust is hailed amongst the most successful land restitution project in the entire country and is rated number one in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This project boasts of timber, sugarcane, white maize, chilies and leather fern and has supply agreements with for the above yields with Gledhow Sugar Mill, Umkhumbi Maize Mill and NCT forestry Cooperative etc.
In 2004, 376 claimants from the Amangcolosi community in Kranskop, KZN were successful in claiming the restoration of land rights over 12 independent white owned farms in terms of restitution. In July 2005 the claimants officially received part of their land which was approximately 8 000 hectares. The trust started by opening a company called Ithuba Agriculture with its main objective to run these farms as a business entity on a daily basis. The company had nothing to start with except land and the crops in it in the year 2005. Ithuba has done wonders as it managed to grow into a viable commercial business in five years, moreover posting profit for the first time. It was not an easy ride for the Ithuba, they encountered problems like any other business but they were able to sail through.
On Saturday, 18 February 2012 the trust not only handed over five classrooms to Dulumbe Primary school, it also handed over water projects, cattle dips and electricity project to the community. The handover ceremony was graced by District Mayor of Ilembe Cllr SW Mdabe, officials from the Departments of Education and Rural Development and Land Reform. The chairperson of the trust Mr Alfred Xulu thanked the department for land restoration and praised Ithuba agriculture for ensuring that the project is sustainable and a roaring success. He also praised the community for working tiresly on these farms as Ithuba employs more than 400 people from this community.
Learners from the community will now access education like their peers around South Africa (SA). They before the handover had to share two classrooms. The principal in the school Ms Dladla thanked all stakeholders who were involved in ensuring that her school gets more classrooms. She could not hold back tears of joy when receiving the classrooms. Mr Walter Siluale Director of Operations for KZN Restitution said “Government has already spent more than R12 billion in purchasing land. A lot of projects were established but this one rates amongst the best in SA. Claimants were previously sent on fact finding missions in Limpopo, this would ensure that they get firsthand information and tips from successful project beneficiaries. This is, however no more the case, as KZN now has an academy for this purpose.
The academy was made possible by the Ngcolosi Community Trust. Cllr SW Mdabe: Ilembe District Mayor and KZN Salga Chairperson summed it up by saying that he has travelled the province extensively. In his travelling, he said, he noticed that land is being restored to communities but people fail to maintain and keep projects sustainable. He said this is why the country faces escalating food prices. He pledged to donate computers and furniture to the administration block in the school, the Department of Education plans to build.
Enquiries:
Eddie Mohoebi
Tel: 012 312 8502
Cell: 082 550 1445
Fax: 012 323 3693
Amangcolosi Community Trust hands school to the community
