Emalahleni Local Municipality in association with Transversal Unit and Glencore Coal Mining have joined ventures on Food Security Programmes, through the initiatives of encouraging community members to stop using unoccupied empty land as dumping sites, but to turn them into community gardening places.
On Friday, August 27 the Executive Mayor of Emalahleni, Cllr Linah Malatjie alongside Transversal Unit assistant manager, Ms Phindile Nkosi, and Glencore Coal Mining representative Ms Mapula Mokwena went to Ezinambeni Extension 7 (zone 14) to donate gardening tools such as wheelbarrows, garden organic soil (compost), seeds and shovels to the community members who have transformed a dumping area to a community garden.
In the proceedings of the meeting, Cllr Malatjie pleaded to the community members to protect the unoccupied empty land and turn them into something that is going to benefit them for a very long time, just like they did with the one in Extension 7 (zone 14).
Cllr Malatjie further urged community members to not use the limited donated tools for personal gain, but to use them for community purposes to avoid unnecessary glitches.
“Today I’m not here to talk about community issues, I’m here with Glencore and Transversal Unit to hand over the necessity that a community needs. I urge and beg everyone who’s here to protect these gardening tools because they belong to you, please do not use them for personal vendettas, but use them for community gain. I also encourage everyone who is here to partake in gardening because they will help us in the long run to fight poverty. One last thing…the municipality is aware of the water problem, therefore we will provide you with drums to store water for these gardens, of course not now, but in the long run. Therefore for now please protect these essential tools and use them productively,” said Cllr Malatjie.
Ms Mokwena from Glencore has also urged the community members to protect the donated tools and she encouraged the youth to take part in planting too.
“We encourage youth to participate in these food security gardening projects because in a long run these projects are going to sustain many communities, on behalf of Glencore. I thank everyone who is here and I put my trust in you to protect and secure this place for future economic developments,” said Ms Mokwena.
Community members were very pleased to receive gardening tools from the municipality and Glencore, they even pledged that they will protect the gardening tools.
In conclusion of the meeting, the mayor promised community members that the will be more food security projects developed and more land given to community members to plough.
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