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22 October 2008

Members of the media are cordially invited to join the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs, Honourable Lulu Xingwana, in the launch of the Ilima/Letsema campaign in Phokwane Local Municipality, Franscis Baard District, Northern Cape on 26 October 2008.

Minister Xingwana has initiated the Ilima/Letsema campaign as part of the national effort to ensure that no land lies fallow that members of the community, community structures, the three-tiers of government, and other role players leverage land as resource to fight poverty and hunger, increase food security and contribute towards government's objective of better life for all. As such, this campaign makes a direct contribution to government's War on Poverty national campaign.

Ilima/Letsema is deeply rooted in the African culture where time immemorial communities and community structures banded together and worked together to tilt the land to feed themselves and the community. In line with this tradition, the following will form some of the key activities during the Phokwane, Northern Cape Ilima/Letsema campaign:
* planting of vegetables and fruit trees in household gardens of the poorest of the poor in the township of Valstan,
* The planting of maize on a five hectare farm owned by 11 youths,
* A visit to and support provision to a women's project that produces soap from goat milk,
* A visit and support to a 120 hectare youth project that produces olives,
* Installation of a drainage system to increase agricultural food production,
* The minister and provincial leadership addressing the community and other stakeholders on what role the three tiers of government, community members and other stakeholder can play in unleashing the potential of land in, amongst others, the fight against hunger and poverty.

The Ilima/Letsema campaign is a product of an extensive consultation process that involved the three tiers of government, traditional leaders, community members, the municipalities and other role players and as such, the minister will be accompanied by the Northern Cape Premier, the MEC for Agriculture in the province, the local and district mayors, community leaders, senior officials of the departments of agriculture and land affairs and other key role players.

The roll out of the Ilima/Letsema campaign in the Northern Cape follows the recent successful launches in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.

The details of the Phokwane, Northern Cape Ilima/Letsema launch are as follows:

Date: 26 October 2008
Place: Phokwane Local Municipality, Franscis Baard District, Northern Cape
Time: 12h30 to 14h00

For more information contact:
Mr Eddie Mohoebi
Tel: 012 312 9648
Cell: 082 550 1445

Mr Steve Galane
Tel: 012 319 7960
Cell: 083 635 7346

Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs
22 October 2008
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs (http://land.pwv.gov.za)