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MEC Nkwinti to give 150 goats to impoverished communities
17 July 2008
Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Gugile Nkwinti will tomorrow, 18 July 2008 celebrate the birthday of the former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela by handing over 150 goats to the impoverished communities of Adelaide, Bedford and Mt Pleasant.
This is part of the Department's livestock improvement programme and since the Adelaide area is hit hard by high poverty and unemployment rate, the Department deemed it necessary to intervene with farming, especially goats, which are popular in the area.
According to officials in the area, many people are unemployed while most depend on the surrounding areas for employment, meaning they are knowledgeable about the basics of farming but have no resources.
Since the communities in the area has limited available land, the Department decided to also provide them with goats and this initiative will benefit 30 households as part of the Siyazondla Households programme.
The Siyazondla programme focuses on homestead gardens where communities are given seeds and gardening tools that includes spades, watering cans, forks, hoes and other implements.
The participants in these programmes are mentored by extension officers and this programme has yielded good results since its introduction.
MEC Nkwinti is very enthusiastic about this programme because it reaches the poor of the poorest and it is in that breath that he will celebrate Madiba's birthday by providing the resources to the poor.
Madiba is a champion of poverty eradication and the Department prides itself by spearheading the fight against underdevelopment, starvation and hunger through support to our communities and economy through sustained agricultural programmes.
The MEC invites you to be part of this august event to witness how the communities celebrate their gift, which serves as a gesture to celebrate the birthday of Madiba.
Details of the event are as follows:
Date: 18 July 2008
Time: 10h00
Venue: Adelaide Stadium
Members of the media can contact the numbers below to chat with the MEC during the event. Please arrange in time.
For more information, call:
Thozi Manyisana
Tel: 040 609 3965
Cell: 073 263 3754
Issued by: Department of Agriculture
17 July 2008