Program Director, Mr Dumsani Ndimande
Our Host, Inkosi M Tembe Prince
Msongi Tembe Queen of KwaNdebele
Members of the Swaziland Royal Family
Representatives of the Swaziland Government
Representatives of the Mozambique Government
Minister for Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Senzo Mchunu
KZN MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Mr Mike Mabuyakhulu
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me add my congratulations to Inkosi Tembe and the Tembe people for hosting another successful Umthayi Festival. The event gets better every year.
The current drought that grips the country reminds us how important it is to value our trees, our crops, our livestock and our land. By holding this first fruits festival, the Tembe People are celebrating their connection to nature and the Marula Tree which has helped feed and sustain the community. We can learn from this festival about the need to care for our environment and celebrate what we get from nature. There may not always be beer or wine as a result of the harvest, but remember the first fruits represent the promise of food which is essential for life. I stand here in an even more joyous mood because the construction of the Marula Factory has now been completed. The KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (KZN DARD) has spent R26 million to build and equip the factory which will start with manufacturing Marula jam. There has been a challenge with getting electricity to the Plant but this is currently being sorted out by engineers in the Department. Our long-term goals involve the extraction of oil from the Marula seed.
Marula oil is traditionally used in cosmetics, in food as a cooking oil and as a meat preservative and it is also used to treat leather. I’ve been told that Marula Oil is such a good skin moisturiser that it is known as Africa’s Beauty Secret. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform must be thanked for assisting KZN DARD with R5 million to buy a machine to crack the Marula nuts so that the oil can be extracted.
The funds from Rural Development will be used to buy a truck to take community members out to collect the fruit. A van will also be bought to be used to deliver the jams, chutneys and marmalades that are produced at the factory. Markets have already been secured at local lodges and hotels and with a national company that specialises in the manufacture and distribution of jams.
The Marula Factory is an example of the Province’s Agrarian Transformation Strategy in Action. It is taking small-home industry businesses that operated in the informal economy and helping them to become business enterprises on a commercial scale. The drought also reminds us that whatever we do, must be sustainable, so that future generations are food secure. KZN DARD’s plans include the development of Marula Orchards and a nursery for the propagation of plants so that there will be an ongoing supply of fruit. We want to see the local community thrive with Marula beer, jams and oils flowing from this area.
I thank you!
