Mokgalwaneng: The North West Provincial Government’s Mandela Week schedule reached its peak on Sunday, 18 July, when the provincial leadership comprising members of the provincial Legislature, members of the Moses Kotane Local Municipality Mayoral Committee and representatives of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela Traditional Administration, led by the MEC for Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Rural Development, Mr Boitumelo Tshwene, celebrated Mandela Day with Ward 29 (Mokgalwaneng, Disake and Matlametlong) communities.
Moses Kotane Local Municipality’s Ward 29 was announced by Premier Maureen Modiselle last year, as the provincial area identified for piloting Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP).
Volunteering their 67 minutes for community work, MECs Mmaphefo Matsemela, Desbo Mohono and Boitumelo Tshwene, Speaker of the Provincial Legislature Nono Moloyi, Motlalepula Rosho, Moses Kotane LM Mayor, Councillor Peter Molelekeng, Chief of Bakgatla ba Kgafela, Kgosi Nyalala Pilane, offered their service at four of Ward 29 CRDP projects. Their work included paving of Matlametlong early learning centre, cleaning up and painting of Mokgalwaneng Primary School, baking at Kgolagano Home Based Care cooperative and de-bushing one of the nearby farms for livestock improvement using chemicals.
Elderly persons from the three villages, who tasted the sweetness of the cakes baked by the team led by MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela, were also provided with blankets donated by Industrial Development Corporation and Sun City International. Members of the Kgolagano Home Based Care cooperative were also beneficiaries of these blankets.
Addressing members of the community on the day’s objective, MEC Boitumelo Tshwene re-emphasised the provincial government’s intent to ensure that its rural communities get the necessary support from government.
"Government’s resolve to comprehensively develop rural areas will to a great extent correspond to the uninterrupted and selfless service that Madiba offered to the people of South Africa and the entire world. It was therefore relevant for the provincial leadership to come here and celebrate this day with people of this rural area," explained MEC Tshwene.
MEC Tshwene encouraged CRDP projects beneficiaries and members of the public in general, to ensure sustainability of the initiated projects and guard against their vandalism.
Learners from various local schools were provided with bicycles as a means of transport to school and sports outfit, whereas three local early learning centres received educational toys. In attendance was also an elderly woman from Bodibe village in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality who shares the same birthday with Madiba.
