Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe today led a government delegation to Ntunda Village in Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, visiting several households as part of the War on Poverty Campaign. Similar visits have been undertaken at Lubala Village in the Eastern Cape and Bitou in the Western Cape this year.
The delegation included Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti; Minister of Social Development, Edna Molewa; Minister of Water and Environment Buyelwa Sonjica; Minister of Women, Youth, Children and Persons with Disabilities Noluthando Mayende- Sibiya; Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza, deputy ministers and MECs.
The war on poverty is an approach which binds together all three spheres of government. The anti-poverty programme guides government to identify poverty-stricken households that need immediate interventions. The visit to Ntunda Village was part of this process.
The community faces a number of challenges such as unemployment, skills development and lack of access to primary healthcare.
Ntunda Village is part of the Nkomazi region which is endowed with rich agricultural soil and vast area of land. Agriculture will therefore be pivotal in the government's intervention to fight poverty in the area.
Government undertook to provide technical assistance to the villagers to enable them to start their own projects in subsistence and commercial farming. Villagers will be encouraged to form cooperatives to take full advantage of the abundant opportunities in the field of agriculture.
Many villagers expressed a desire to get involved in agricultural projects and welcomed the commitment by government to provide them with technical and business support.
To address the immediate problem of lack of access to water, Deputy President Motlanthe and the Minister and Minister Sonjica launched a new water purification plant. The plant guarantees regular supply of water to Ntunda and Sikhwahlane villages.
Deputy President Motlanthe expressed hope that with cooperation between the three spheres of government and the people the current challenges facing the people of Ntunda can be overcome.
For more information please contact:
Thabo Masebe
Cell: 082 410 8087
Source: The Presidency
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe concludes his anti-poverty visit to Mpumalanga
