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The Programme is being implemented by the Department of Local Government & Housing -- www.limpopo-dlgh.gov.za
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THE MARGINALISED COMMUNITY FUND
PROJECTS
Working Together In Word And Deed
Having decided that they wanted to become part of the solution to South Africa's growing problems with land reform, a Limpopo farming family didn't need to look too far to find how they could play their role. They decided to expand their exportdriven avocado and passion fruit estate near Morebeng and to invite their workers to become their partners in the new venture. In doing so, they drew inspiration from their religious convictions. "Our Christian belief is that we should share the wealth that the farm creates from its God-given fertility," explains Hannes Eloff who owns the estate together with his brothers, Frits and Kosie.
The result was that the farm's 80 workers formed
the Badirammoho Trust to Badirammoho now owns a 70% share in Agrigrow which has been formed to cultivate 50 hectares of avocados and 15 hectares of passion fruit on unutilised land on the farm. Through their company, Agrivet, the Eloffs own the remaining 30% of Agrigrow. With Agrivet already cultivating 150 hectares of avocados and 10 hectares of passion fruit on the farm, the combined enterprise will produce close on 1 million cartons of fruit a year when orchards are in full production. What's more, the project has considerable scope for further expansion.
The development of Agrigrow is being supported by a R3,99 million grant from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme through its Marginalised Community Fund. The grant is supporting development of infrastructure, the planting of avocados and passion fruit and an extensive capacity building programme being undertaken by the Limpopo-based Womiwu Rural Development organisation. Agrivet is financing the balance of the R8,7 million required to undertake the Agrigrow venture. The project meets a major objective of the Limpopo LED Programme: to facilitate marginalised communities' access to the mainstream economy, thus enabling the development of formal, sustainable, jobcreating enterprises. The project also supports the strategic partnership model in which established farmers transfer skills to emergent counterparts. The model was adopted by the Limpopo Provincial Government after the collapse of numerous farms successfully claimed under South Africa's post-apartheid land restitution laws by communities who lacked the skills to manage their new assets. Indeed, a number of restituted farms in the vicinity of the Agrigrow project are in deep distress, prompting the provincial government to discuss the possibility of Agrivet becoming involved as a strategic partner. The Agrigrow venture will create at least 50 additional full-time jobs, boosting to about 130 the number of people employed from the nearby Takgalane community. With an average of five dependents per household, some 650 people are benefiting from the existing and expanded farming operations in a district where 52% of people are unemploy.
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Another major advantage enjoyed by the Agrigrow project is the quality of the capacity building programme being undertaken by Womiwu. The programme is being conducted by Gerard Mamabolo, a successful farmer who holds a masters degree in Agricultural Extension and has extensive experience in community-based farming. Dividends earned by Badirammoho through the Agrigrow
project will substantially increase the income of workers. Passion
fruit is being grown as a cash crop to provide Agrigrow with regular
income while the avocado trees are maturing. Turnover from passion
fruit is expected to be about R1,4 million a year yielding gross
profit of some R1 million. Avocados are The project gives Badirammoho access to an exceptionally
high value chain. Agrivet is also a shareholder in Westfalia Marketing, giving Agrigrow additional benefits from the marketing expertise of South Africa's largest avocado producer. In addition, Agrivet has access to major domestic markets through its relationship with ZZ2, Limpopo's biggest single agricultural operation which supplies fresh produce markets via its own transportation network.
Mamabolo has assisted the Eloffs and Badirammoho to gain a better understanding of each other. He has also trained Badirammoho in the workings of a Trust and in what is expected of it and its members. In addition, he has conducted leadership and business training skills designed to enable workers to more effectively participate in the running and development of Agrigrow. Agricultural training has been provided by the Lowveld-based Megro organisation which has conducted courses in most aspects of farming. But this is only the start to what could become an even bigger enterprise because the Agrigrow project has considerable potential for spin-off developments. The quantities of fruit to be produced could warrant the establishment of a packhouse and even of a passion fruit processing plant. This could in turn provide opportunities for other emergent farmers in the area.
Dividends earned by the Badirammoho Trust will not only help its members to raise their standards of living but could also assist the Takgalane community to provide some essential basic services.
Additional disposable income in the area is also likely to create demand for new products and services, opening opportunities for small businesses. For more information, please contact: |
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New Heritage Park Set To Become Prime Tourism Attraction
Tsonga heritage and arts and crafts are being preserved in the form of a village park that will hopefully become a prime tourism attraction in one of Limpopo's most impoverished areas. Situated east of Giyani in eastern Limpopo, Thomo Heritage Park is being established with support of a R2,9 million grant from the Marginalised Community Fund of the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme. Thomo Heritage Park seeks to improve the functioning of the economy in Thomo village and surrounding areas by combining tourism with arts and craft development, small-scale mining, revival of Iron Age industries and environmental rehabilitation.
The project mobilises community assets,
heritage, cultural practices, scenery, Thomo Heritage Park will give visitors "an opportunity to stay and enjoy true Construction of nine guest huts, a living cultural heritage museum, a theatre stage and an Iron Age industry site have been completed. Under construction is a visitors' centre accommodating an exhibition area, a gallery, an auditorium, a conference hall, a restaurant, an office and a gift shop. Thomo Heritage Park already employs 46 local villagers. "The
principal objective is to create job opportunities and lay the basis
for rising standards of living over time within the context of local
cultural heritage and tourism and to promote local eco-nomic development
in the area," explains The project supports the development of four priority
sectors identified in Limpopo's Provincial Growth and Development
Strategy: mining through preservation of an Iron Age-based industry;
manufacturing undertaken by Nsimbi and Tinghwazi arts and crafts
groups; agriculture in the form of The project is aligned with the development focus
of the Mopani District |
It also enhances tourism infrastructure in Greater Giyani Municipality by creating an attraction with substantial tourism potential.
In addition, the project emphasises the participation of women, youth and disabled persons, and promotes black economic empowerment. "We have developed responsible custodianship of the community's cultural heritage resources," says Mabunda. "We are encouraging the community to invest in local heritage resources and to conserve culture, traditions, environment and heritage as well as the area's indigenous knowledge systems."
The hub will also add value by developing better breeding stock and through agri-businesses such as an auction facility, production of animal licks, and sales of manure, skins and horns. Limburg is enlisting support from a State agency to develop a cell phone-based information and communications system enabling farmers to access the agri-hub for information and services. Limburg also plans to extend the agri-hub to chicken and goat farming. |
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Turning Stones Into Jobs
A The transformation of the Vhembe District Colourstone Mining Co-operative (VDCMC) is being achieved with support of R5,9 million in grants from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme (R3,9 million) and Vhembe District Municipality (R2 million). The VDCMC was established some
five years ago with an initial 12 members,
of which seven were women. The
co-operative has exploration and mining
rights on eight farms covering some
8 000 hectares about 20 kilometres west
Its members started mining for semiprecious stones with little business expertise, the most basic equipment, and in the harshest conditions, with temperatures in the 40s, no potable water and no toilet facilities. They initially supplied unprocessed stones to a company in Nelspruit which had beneficiation facilities and access to markets. The co-operative turned to the Limpopo LED Programme and Vhembe District Municipality for assistance after making a fundamental decision to become a major player in the semi-precious stones market.
It wanted to become a competitive business by raising production capacity and adding value to its stones in its own beneficiation facilities. Its vision, set out in its corporate profile,
is to be an "integrated colour stone Its goal is to "develop a reputation for being one of the best women-empowered and -run mining co-operative operations through the belief and understanding that `the business is about meeting customers' needs'." The Limpopo LED Programme is supporting the co-operative through its Marginalised Community Fund which aims to enable poor rural communities in the so-called 2nd economy to enter the mainstream 1st economy. |
With added support from Vhembe District Municipality, the co-operative has built its own tumbling plant which enables it to shine-up stones. "We used to sell raw, unprocessed stone for between R800 and R1 500 per ton, which is a pittance," says VDCMC project manager and member Alwyn Nel. "By tumbling stones, we can get R25 000 per ton." The co-operative can add further value because it now also has polishing facilities enabling it to shape stones into a variety of forms and to make jewellery. Funding has also enabled the co-operative to acquire a truck and a a bakkie to transport stones between its mining operations, warehouse and tumbling plant. The acquisition of a car enables members to travel to clients and markets. Miners now have access to field toilets. The acquisition of a fridge enables them to cool water and to ferry it in containers to their places of work. "It used to be literally hell on earth working out on the mines," recalls Nel. "Conditions are now much more bearable."
The co-operative now employs 39 people including managers in charge of mining, production, sales and marketing and human resources, an accountant and an administration. With beneficiation facilities now in place, the co-operative is focusing on marketing and selling products made from semi-precious stones ranging from agates to unakite, amethyst, cornelian, aventurine, red jasper, rose quartz sodalite and tiger's eye.
The initial focus is on the domestic market where VDCMC hopes to supply curio shops and jewellery outlets. The State-owned Mintek mining support corporation is providing training in turning large chunks of stone into etched and carved pieces, enabling the co-operative to produce specific products on commission. VDCMC has been assisted by such organisations as Trade & Investment Limpopo to sell a limited number of products on foreign markets, but its ultimate aim is to set up its own export channels. "We truly have huge potential," says Nel. VCMC general manager Rudzani Matshila believes the business could create some 90 permanent jobs and more than 120 additional jobs downstream. Based on the dependency rate, he estimates more than 500 people will benefit through increased household income. "Developing a well-managed and profitable business will make it possible for profits to be channelled back to the community through a community trust which could support development in the area," he says. For more information,
please contact: |
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Premier Praises Land Reform Project being Supported by Limpopo LED Programme
L The project involves the Bohwa Bja Rena community
which was granted The hub is based on the establishment of feedlots that will not only serve Limburg's cattle rearing needs but will also enable some 300 marginalised emergent farmers to improve the quality of their stock and sell their cattle on mainstream markets. When fully developed, the feedlots will be able to handle 3'000 cattle at a time. The project also aims to open a niche market by securing organic registration. Emergent farmers spread over a wide area will eventually be able to access feedlot services and agricultural information through a cell phone based system that will gradually be upgraded to handle a wide spectrum of information and communications capabilities. Opening the first of two feedlots on January 25, Premier Moloto said the revival of the estate through a strategic partnership was a model for land reform and restitution in South Africa. He said Limpopo could be "proud of" the outcome of the partnership. |
The Limpopo LED Programme has granted Limburg R2,2 million from its Marginalised Community Fund, enabling the group to establish two feedlots and provide training for emergent farmers. The feedlots will act as a central buying, selling and service agri-hub to enable farmers to benefit from collective bargaining power. It will buy and distribute animal feed and supply veterinary and artificial insemination services and medicines. The hub will sell cattle and link small-scale farmers to mainstream markets, such as abatoirs and butcheries.
The hub will also add value by developing better breeding stock and through agri-businesses such as an auction facility, production of animal licks, and sales of manure, skins and horns. Limburg is enlisting support from a State agency to develop a cell phone-based information and communications system enabling farmers to access the agri-hub for information and services. Limburg also plans to extend the agri-hub to chicken and goat farming. For more information on the Limburg ICT Agri-Hub, please contact: Annami Bruwer.
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Bridging The Big Divide
W The Phalala community of 100 000 people lives in 41 villages 70 kilometres from Lephalale where investment of some R100 billion is set to transform this western Limpopo town into South Africa's new energy production hub. Here in the Waterberg coal field which contains about 50% of South Africa's remaining coal reserves, Eskom is building a second coal-fired power station; Kumba Resources is expanding coal mining to supply the new electricity generator; Sasol is considering establishing a coal-to-liquids fuel plant; and Anglo American and other energy companies are sizing up the potential to exploit coal-bed methane gas. These developments are being mirrored across the border in Botswana where investors are planning to establish a large-scale coal mine to supply another new power station. Meanwhile, major eco-tourism investment is taking place in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve south of Lephalale. The Phalala community lives out of sight along the Phalala River between Lephalale and the Botswana border: a poor, survivalist community with unproductive communal lands, high poverty and unemployment, and extensive malnutrition. However, the community is no longer out of mind. With support from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme which is investing R12,7 million in a range of inter-related projects in the area, the Phalala community is being drawn into the mainstream economy through development of the Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor based on table grape and vegetable cultivation. The other partners in this ambitious venture are the Limpopo Provincial Government, the Waterberg District Municipality, the Lephalale Local Municipality, local commercial table grape farmers, and, most critically, a fresh produce trader in Gauteng. The trader, Wigwam, has guaranteed a market for whole and processed vegetables produced by Phalala emergent farmers on some 400 hectares. Wigwam has committed itself to purchase in the first year of the venture R18 million worth of vegetables from Phalala farmers. They will receive intensive training as well as other support from commercial farmers and will cultivate vegetables under irrigation from the Phalala River which runs through the community. A community-owned cold room will be built in the Phalala area to enable emergent farmers to store their vegetables. A small processing plant, also owned by the community, will be established to enable added value processing of vegetables into peeled, cut and diced convenience foods which will also be stored in the cold room. Whole and processed produce will then be transported
to Lephalale some 70 kilometres away. It will be held there in an
existing large-scale cold room facility which has until now been
used by local commercial table grape farmers. However, these farmers
have been using the facility for only one month a year: during November
when they harvest their grapes. Now, with the Phalala community set
to use the cold room for final storage of their vegetables, the facility
will be utilised year-round. A grape juice processing plant will
be established alongside the Lephalale cold room, Consolidated and packaged produce will not only be consigned to Wigwam in Gauteng; big companies in Lephalale, such as Eskom, have indicated they would be keen to buy Phalala produce for their canteens, giving the emergent farmers another substantial market. However, two other markets will be opened for the Phalala farmers. One of these is a fresh produce market that will be established in the Phalala area. In addition to supplying the local community, the market hopes to attract vegetable buyers from Botswana who currently travel past Phalala to make bulk purchases in Lephalale. The other market is for table grapes. Some commercial table grape farmers in the area are keen to sell or lease vineyards which occupy only a portion of their land. They would like to do so in order to free-up capital and focus on developing other portions of their land to meet demand for residential property as Lephalale grows.
They are therefore offering their vineyards to emergent farmers who would finance acquisitions by accessing State land resettlement and related grants, and by using established vineyards and infrastructure as collateral to raise bank loans. The Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor project meets the most fundamental objective of national and provincial government policy: to link marginalised communities in the so-called 2nd economy to the mainstream, 1st economy. The project also tackles a fundamental weakness afflicting small-scale farmers in remote areas: their lack of organisation and access to markets. The project has secured as its first priority a substantial supply contract for the Phalala farmers as well as other markets. By operating as a co-operative, farmers will then be able to pool their resources and production to fulfil contracts. And by adding value to produce before sending it to markets, more income will be retained in the community, creating a base for further local economic development in Phalala. "Most of the R18 million from the Wigwam contract will flow back into the community," explains Keith White, a table grape farmer who has played a leading role in setting up the project. "In effect, we are bringing Gauteng to Phalala. Vegetables won't simply be sent to Gauteng for value addition through processing. They will be processed in Phalala, and the additional value will be retained in Phalala. "Increased buying power in the community will create opportunities for other entrepreneurs to supply goods and services which people have until now been forced to obtain from outside the area." White views the project as a "perfect match" combining Lephalale commercial farmers' agricultural, management and marketing skills with the Phalala community's access to land, irrigation and State funding, and status as a BEE preferential supplier to mainstream markets. Support From Commercial Farmers The export-driven commercial table grape industry in the area is the catalyst for the project. Some 18 farmers have built up a substantial business by exploiting the area's competitive advantage. Table grapes ripen here earlier than in most other southern hemisphere regions, enabling Lephalale farmers to beat competitors to the European market. A number of the 18 commercial farmers have indicated they would like to sell their vineyards to emergent farmers. One farm is subject to a land claim and another farm has already been bought by the State under a land reform programme. This farm is seen as a training ground for emergent farmers who will be trained by a highly qualified local commercial farmer not only in grape production, but in general agriculture, enabling them to participate in other farming ventures. However, commercial farmers first needed to ensure that their industry remains viable and competitive and that it can be used as the base for pro-poor agricultural growth. |
Support From the Limpopo LED Programme To assist them to achieve this, the Limpopo LED Programme awarded a group of the farmers R850 000 from its Local Competitiveness Fund (LCF). This enabled them to conduct research on existing and potential markets and on value-added processing of grapes. It also assisted them to lay foundations for the establishment of an agri-business co-operative that would enable black participation in the grape industry. A further grant of R7 million from the LCF has enabled commercial farmers, now grouped under an organisation known as the African Rural Development Corporation (ARDC), to take the next steps in the implementation of the project. These involved the establishment of an agri-business centre based on the existing Mogol Koelkamers (cold rooms) in Lephalale, and of the Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor as a means of bringing together commercial and emergent farmers. The grant enables the farmers to set up a project management system, establish marketing co-operative infrastructure, secure Mogol Koelkamers as the hub of the agri-business centre, refurbish infrastructure, develop a grape processing centre next to the cold rooms, and embark on a training and skills development programme for emergent farmers.
The process of strengthening the position of commercial farmers and their ability to engage with emergent farmers has been complemented by support for the Phalala community. The Limpopo LED Programme has made two grants to community-based organisations from its Marginalised Community Fund (MCF) which aims to reduce poverty through pro-poor economic growth. A grant of R850 000 has been made to the Lemagararo Food and Agricultural Development Co-operative. This enables it to work with the commercial farmers' ARDC to develop an economic action plan for the Phalala community. This includes setting up a community leadership management group and researching all opportunities available to the community. A further grant of R4 million has been made to the Lemagararo Agricultural Co-operative in partnership with the ARDC, other grape farmers and Mogol Koelkamers. This enables the setting up of a project management system, the design and construction of the Phalala Agri-business Centre consisting of a cold room, a vegetable processing plant, a management office, a business centre, a packhouse, logistics and distribution facilities, and a fresh produce market. The grant also enables the establishment of the Phalala Asset Management Group and Community Trust which will own the agri-business centre. In addition, the grant supports the implementation of the Phalala vegetable growers programme to supply Wigwam. Support From Government The project enjoys strong support from government. It has been integrated into the Limpopo Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, with the Premier and senior government officials assisting to facilitate project development and implementation. Waterberg District Municipality has budgeted to contribute R4,5 million as a co-funder of the project which has become a key part of the municipality's Integrated Development Plan and Local Economic Development Strategy. "Agriculture is a key building block of the economy," says Waterberg mayor Pinky Kekana. "We view this partnership between the private sector and the Phalala community as a major step to maximise the potential of agriculture and to link the marginalised 2nd economy with the 1st economy." The project has also become part of Lephalale Local Municipality's Local Economic Development Plan. LED manager Moss Mokala says the municipality has been mobilising the community behind the project and assisting it to access additional funding from other government departments and agencies. Support From Traditional Leaders
The three traditional leaders in the Phalala community -- a king and two queens -- are actively supporting the project and facilitating the allocation of communal land to emergent farmers. They are Kgosi Seleka of the Ga-Seleka community; MaKgosi Langa of the Makuruanyane community; and MaKgosi Shongoane of the Babididi community. |
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Four Community-based Tourism Routes Opened
Four new community-based tourism routes have been launched with support from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme. Backed by world-wide marketing through an innovative website, the new attractions have been developed by Open Africa with a R628,000 grant from the Limpopo LED Programme's Marginalised Community Fund which focuses on linking poor rural communities to the mainstream economy. Open Africa identifies tourism opportunities in rural communities, and assists them to develop the opportunities to their full potential and to market them to local, national and international tourism markets through its Geographic Information System-based website. Catering for tourists visiting remote and little known places, a feature of Open Africa's projects is the utilisation of its website: www.africandream.org. This gives potential tourists detailed maps and information on attractions and accommodation, and the ability to download GPS co-ordinates to guide them through routes. Working closely with communities in developing routes, Open Africa says its projects co-ordinate them "around a vision of common purpose, brands their products as a collective, and makes it easier for visitors to make and plan itineraries".
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The new routes will "expand the environmental economy, link more marginalised communities into the network, and through that to the formal economy, utilising indigenous skills and cultural assets, and adding to the bouquet of attractions to entice more visitors to these areas". The four routes opened with support of the Limpopo LED Programme will enhance Open Africa's existing network of five community-based tourism routes in Limpopo. Open Africa says each of its existing Limpopo routes has an average of 30 tourism establishments employing some 300 full-time and 100 part-time people. It says its new routes are likely to create a similar number of jobs, suggesting that they could create as many as 1,200 full-time and 400 part-time jobs. It also notes that "the trickle-down effect of tourism reaches a very high proportion of people within the vicinity of where it takes place".
The four tourism routes opened with support from
the Limpopo LED |
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pick
and shovel mining venture run mainly by rural women in the harshest
of conditions in remote northern Limpopo is being transformed into
a
The Bush to Beach Tourism Route
This gives a new dimension
to tourism in Limpopo by linking the province's premier wildlife
reserves and Mozambique's pristine coast. The route gives tourists
the best of both worlds, enabling them to see the most majestic
land mammals in Limpopo today and dive with the biggest fish tomorrow.
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Open Africa's website -- www.africandream.org -- provides tourists with extensive details on Bush to Beach participating lodges which offer accommodation ranging from upmarket to modest community-based establishments. Some 40 of the 70 lodges are situated around
Phalaborwa which aims to reduce its strong dependence on mining
by diversifying its economy through development of a tourism
industry based on promoting the town as the gateway to "bush
'n beach" holidays.
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The Kruger to Canyon Tourism Route This links Phalaborwa on the border of Kruger National Park, Hoedspruit and Graskop on the edge of Blyde River Canyon. For more information on the Bush to Beach and Kruger to Canyon Tourism Routes, please contact:
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Mark Glanvill Bollanoto Information Office |
The Seraki Blouberg Tourism Route
Open Africa describes this
as the "gateway to an almost forgotten world"
and as a new attraction for adventure travellers. Situated north
west of Limpopo's capital city, Polokwane, the focal point of the
route is the Blouberg mountain which is one of South Africa's biggest
inselbergs, or free-standing mountains.
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The majority of tourism-related projects are situated at the southern foot of the mountain, but the route also includes attractions on top of the mountain. The route offers a range of attractions including
unique rock-art paintings, a wide range of fauna and flora, ruins
testifying to past turmoils, vibrant cultural experiences, with
opportunities for adventure in the form of rock climbing, hiking
and exploration in breathtaking natural settings. For further information, contact: Patrick Morata.
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The Land of Legends Route This lies in the the heart
of the traditional home of the VhaVenda people of northern Limpopo.
With close links to the Great Zimbabwe civilisation, the area
is steeped in myth and legend. Nearby is Thathe Vondo Forest within which lies
the Sacred Forest, with giant hardwoods, tree ferns, lianas and
creepers. The forest encompasses Thathe Vondo Tea Estates, Mahovhovho
Falls and Mukumbani Dam. Then there's Phiphidi Waterfall which
is said to be inhabited by the Zidutwane (water spirits).
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Other features include the biggest baobab in the country -- over 3,000 years old with a girth of 43 metres -- found near Sagole Spa; Tshimbubfe, an archaeological site with iron furnaces dating back to 1,250; Thulamela, a site in Kruger National Park with evidence that gold was already being smelted here in 1,300; Makuya Park Nature Reserve along the border of Kruger National Park; Nwanedi National Park; Tshatshingo Potholes; and Mphaphuli Cycad Reserve. For a full description of the Land of Legends Route and details on attractions and accommodation, visit www.africandream.org For further information, contact: Beth Mashawana.
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Keeping The Land Productive
The Limpopo LED Programme
is meeting a major challenge identified by Limpopo Premier Sello
Moloto. Making his recent State of the Province address, the Premier
said productivity on restituted farm land is declining and that
vast tracts of land are lying fallow.
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The initiative focuses
on the Moletele community of 1,615 families who have claimed some
50,000 hectares in the Hoedspruit area, with much of this being
highly productive farm land. Land in the area also includes tourist
lodges. |
A key aim of the CPA
is to establish its own administrative centre to manage its interests
in restituted land and farms. It hopes to establish support infrastructure
from the proceeds of a R25 million post-land settlement development
grant due to it from government. However, the CPA is being frustrated
by long delays in the processing of the grant. For more information, please contact: Thandios Mashile, chairperson of the Moletele
CPA. Mike Scott
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Flower Power
The Moria area is becoming
more than the spiritual home of the Zion Christian Church. A village
near the church is taking its own leap of faith by pioneering development
of the first international standards for a form of agriculture
far removed from traditional subsistence farming practised in most
rural areas of Limpopo. With support from the Limpopo LED Programme,
emergent farmers in Ga-Rampheri village have formed a range of
strategic partnerships, enabling them to grow geraniums according
to organic principles; to extract the high value essential oil
from the plants; and to sell the sought-after oil to cosmetics'
manufacturers worldwide. However, the project also aims to establish
the first international standards for essential oils produced under
the FairTrade label which commands premium prices and offers added
benefits to marginalised communities. |
The project will be undertaken on 50 hectares which have been made available to the emergent farmers by the local traditional leadership. The project will create about 30 permanent jobs, and 120 seasonal jobs during harvesting. Opportunities could also emerge for small enterprises to provide such services as compost and organic fertiliser making, and transport. FairTrade enables small-scale producers to gain
easier access to markets in developed countries. Products with
the FairTrade label are sold at a premium because their prices
are based on ensuring that workers who produced them receive a
fair, living wage. Consumers are prepared to pay the premium as
their contribution towards improving the position of producers
in marginalised areas. Part of the premium is paid back to producers
and is generally used to fund improvements to social facilities
in their communities or to enable the producers themselves to improve
their FairTrade principles have been established for
a wide range of products but none exist for essential oils production.
Part of the Limpopo LED grant will therefore be used to develop
the first standards and to have them accepted by the FairTrade
Labelling Organisation. Other partners in the venture
are: Hanneke Laatz: Goldex. |
Counting On Beans Improbable as it seems, Limpopo's platinum industry needs beans. And that's what a small-scale farming project being supported by the Limpopo LED Programme plans to deliver. The bean so sought after is the guar. It is used as a vegetable for human consumption and as cattle feed. Guar gum is used as a stiffener in soft ice cream, and as a stabiliser for cheeses,instant puddings and whipped cream substitutes. However, the guar bean is also used to make polymeric depressants which are important re-agents in the flotation of ores to recover metals, and especially platinum group metals. The South Africa platinum mining industry consumes an estimated 1,000 tons of processed guar per month, of which mines in Limpopo consume some 30%. This used to be imported mainly from Zimbabwe, but the guar growing industry there has collapsed, leaving mines to source their needs from elsewhere in the world. Now, the Limpopo LED programme has awarded a R564,300 grant to Teba Development which is supporting the drawing up of a community action plan for the production and processing of guar, initially in Sekhukhune district. The district in south eastern Limpopo covers the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex where platinum mining is rapidly expanding. |
Owned by a consortium of mining houses, Teba is a well known agency which supports mine workers. Teba Development was established in 2002 as part of a rural upliftment initiative to support the mining industry’s social development commitments under the Mining Charter. Teba Development is drawing up the action plan in partnership with Limpopo-based Womiwu Rural Development. Their initiative aims to identify pilot areas for guar production as well as suitable small-scale farmers, and to train and support them. The long-term aim is to establish a guar cultivation industry in Limpopo.The project developers estimate that in order to meet the mining industry’s monthly need for 1 000 tons of processed guar, some 30,000 hectares would need to be cultivated by large- and small-scale farmers. If even only 10% of this was produced by small-scale growers, then 1,000 farmers and their families would benefit in an area where unemployment is estimated to be as high as 75%. Guar cultivation would suit small-scale farmers because it requires low inputs and produces a high value, competitive crop for which there is a ready market. Guar is also suitable for cultivation in such dry areas as Sekhukhune district because it tolerates drought and high temperatures. The project supports national and provincial policies to create opportunities for marginalised communities by linking them with the mainstream economy.
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It will also help to diversify community-based agriculture which is based mainly on growing subsistence crops. For more information, please contact: David Cooper, Teba Development
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BEE Power
The Limpopo LED Programme
is supporting an initiative designed to establish a national black-owned
honey production co-operative. The initiative is being undertaken
by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
"Beekeeping For Poverty Relief Programme". The project
envisages development of community-based co-operatives producing
honey marketed nationally under the Inyosi Honey brand which has
been developed for exclusive use by emerging beekeepers and is
also a Proudly South African product.
The Limpopo LED Programme has made a grant of R1 862 000 to the ARC, enabling the organisation to facilitate the establishment of commercially viable beekeeping and honey production in the Greater Giyani area where conditions are ideal for beekeeping. |
The project involves the training in beekeeping and honey production of 45 members of the Greater Giyani Natural Resource Programme. They come from two villages in the area and from the Rivoningo Agricultural School and will be joined by 15 Elim community members who have already been introduced to beekeeping. They will form four associations each consisting of 15 beekeepers who must demonstrate that they have the support of their communities. Community structures will be established to take ownership of equipment.
The Limpopo LED Programme grant will support capacity building among prospective beekeepers and communities, and the establishment of beekeeping associations, populated hives, a honey processing facility, and linkages with mainstream markets. This will be achieved through the Inyosi Honey brand and the packaging, marketing and distribution infrastructure already established to support it. The ARC envisages the eventual establishment of a Black Economic Empowerment company that will be largely owned by beekeeping groups developed through the programme. For more information, please contact: Elize Lundall-Magnuson: Agricultural Research Council.
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Right On Their Doorstep Members of some 100 communities
along Limpopo’s border with Kruger National Park (KNP)
stand to benefit from an ambitious tourism-based project being
supported by the Limpopo LED Programme. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an international organisation based in Kenya, and has been active in community development in Limpopo through its involvement with the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). The Great Limpopo TFCA incorporates KNP, Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and aims to involve surrounding communities in the benefits of tourism and conservation. AWF brokered the landmark tourism partnership between the Makuleke community and a private investor, Wilderness Safaris, in northern KNP. The Limpopo community had won a land claim on part of KNP, and Wilderness Safaris became its strategic partner in developing the area for tourism. The Pafuri Camp lodge developed by the company employs 45 people, and the community receives quarterly land lease payments, according to AWF. The project being supported by the Limpopo LED Programme aims to:
Referring to the Makuleke experience, AWF notes: “Many marginalised communities living adjacent to KNP are not aware of the vast value of their own natural resource assets or are in a position to capitalise on them for tourism development".
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The project meets key objectives of national and provincial policy by aiming to link the 1st and 2nd economies and to build community capacity to participate in partnerships with private investors.
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Linking Communities And Our Forests Forestry group SAFCOL is planning to facilitate and participate in the development of community-based tourism in and around some of its forests in Limpopo. The process is being supported by the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme which has made a grant of R455,000 to SAFCOL, enabling the group to commission a detailed study of the best options for developing community-based tourism. The study focuses on Limpopo’s two most beautiful mountain areas: the Soutpansberg in Vhembe district, and Magoebaskloof in Mopani district, both of which contain large tracts of SAFCOL's 18,000 hectare Komatiland Forests. The project is being driven by a special eco-tourism unit within SAFCOL which sees considerable potential for development of areas as new tourism destinations, offering a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities such as camping, hiking and mountain biking. However, as SAFCOL project leader Piet Bezuidenhout explains, previous attempts to develop community-based tourism have been largely unsuccessful because projects were too small and under-capitalised to attract sufficient interest. The major source of domestic tourism in the Gauteng area also perceives such areas as the Soutpansberg as being too remote. The SAFCOL study will therefore assess the feasibility of larger projects that would be more viable and attractive to tourists and help to establish a new tourism destination. Projects will not be confined to SAFCOL plantations and could be based on a combination of forest land and nearby properties. SAFCOL already has guest houses and hiking trails in some areas. The study will assess existing facilities and plans in each area; refine development concepts; test their marketability; and develop a Marginalised Community Action Plan for proposed developments. SAFCOL plans to have a stake in tourism facilities developed from the study, but does not preclude investment by private groups. |
The project promotes the objectives of national and provincial government policy. It will bring together the 1st and 2nd economies; draw communities into mainstream tourism, transfer skills to them and alleviates poverty; promote more competitive tourism destinations; and facilitate more sustainable land reform in cases where restituted land is used as part of a tourism development.
For more information, please contact: |
Linking Local Suppliers To Mines
Big
mines have needs, as do small businesses around them. Faced with
the need to meet targets set out in the Mining Charter, mines must
procure a growing proportion of goods and services from BEE entities,
preferably in their areas of operation. However, local small businesses
are too often ill equipped to deliver the goods and services mines
require, and often to meet the standards expected of them. As the social investment arm of Palabora Mining
Company (PMC), the Foundation has been awarded a R940,000 grant
from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme to
expand the range of services provided by its Business Advice
Centre (BAC). PMC has extended the life of its mine by some
20 years by sinking an underground shaft below its huge open pit
operation, but the message is clear: the people of Phalaborwa need
to reduce their dependency on the mines as providers of jobs and
to diversify their economy. PMC itself has sold its renowned Hans Merensky Country Club to an Irish entrepreneur who has invested heavily to transform the facility into a luxury "game and golf" hotel and residential complex on the border of Kruger National Park. This is a particularly distinctive tourism destination which has given Phalaborwa a competitive edge, with golfers often playing in the company of wild animals and where a cheetah kill on a fairway is not an uncommon site. |
In turn, the Palabora Foundation has supported the local municipality in drawing up a comprehensive tourism strategy, and in promoting Phalaborwa as a gateway to the Great Limpopo TFCA which covers Kruger National Park, surrounding private game reserves, Limpopo National Park in neighbouring Mozambique, and Gonarazhou National Park in Zimbabwe. PMC and Foskor are already meeting their Mining Charter procurement targets, but they draw mainly on a national pool of some 55 registered BEE suppliers. PMC spent R162 million on supplies from these companies last year out of its total procurement expenditure of R478 million. Foskor's largest operating division in Phalaborwa procures annually goods and supplies worth R650 million. However, the mines need to procure more from local businesses. The Palabora Foundation's BAC has already built up a database of 258 local businesses, and now plans to use its Limpopo LED grant to extend support services to small businesses. These will include:
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Services will include computer literacy training in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet and e-mail usage; assistance in drawing up business plans and in accessing finance; and training in such disciplines as business and financial management, cost accounting, tender procedures, marketing and sales management, logistics management, and safety and security. A mentorship programme is also envisaged. In addition, assistance will be given in market research and opportunity identification, and feasibility studies and product assessments. Promoting Tourism The Palabora Foundation has also been awarded a further R940,000 grant by the Limpopo LED Programme, enabling it to play a role in the promotion of Phalaborwa as a premier tourism destination. The funds will be controlled by the Foundation, the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality and the Greater Phalaborwa Trade and Tourism Council who are joining forces to market Phalaborwa and to promote the town as the gateway to the Great Limpopo TFCA.Initiatives include development of a community website, production of a video, CD ROM and brochures, opening of tourism routes, erection of signage, and participation in tourism conferences and seminars.
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Community Goes Into Brickmaking
Limpopo communities have secured a R1 million grant enabling them to play their part in the development of the first new clay brick factory to be established in South Africa in the past 10 years. The grant, from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme, has been awarded to the Setlhare Traditional Authority, factory workers and local communities in the Bushbuckridge area.
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The project has the support of the Bushbuckridge Municipality which views it as part of its LED programme.The grant will be used to purchase machinery for the factory. It will not only give the community a better sense of ownership, but will free up project capital during the initial stages of production when sales cannot be made for at least two months while the first bricks dry and get fired.The community says it will invest its share of profits in the development of social projects. The Bushbuckridge venture will help to relieve South Africa's estimated annual shortage of some 500 million clay bricks. It will create an estimated 400 direct and 600 indirect jobs in an area with a dire 60% unemployment rate. "The area needs a large scale economic investment injection which could create hundreds of primary jobs and stimulate or mobilise available expertise and resources in the area to create more secondary jobs", says Van Rhyn. The factory will annually produce about 100 million clay bricks. Some of these will be used in the building of 3,000 new RDP-type houses, providing shelter for 2,000 people. |
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Mopani Worms Lekker In London
Limpopo
has an unlikely new export -- Mopani worms. They are being sold
to a London company by a Giyani community enterprise which is developing
a range of Mopani worm-based foods and flavoured snacks with support
from the European Union-funded Limpopo Local Economic Development
(LED) Programme. "We in the West have closed our minds to insect eating but in doing so have forgotten that these are one of the most nutritious foods, higher in protein levels than chicken, and cholesterol free". South African researchers in fact claim that 100 grams of dried Mopani worms provide up to 76% of a human's daily protein requirement.
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While Dalton sells Mopani worms only in dried form, he adds value to other insect-based products by giving them what he calls "a western twist". These include such delicacies as chocolate covered giant ants and scorpions, toffee scorpion candy, and Thai curry crickets. However, the Giyani enterprise is planning to
add value to Mopani worms by producing a wide range of processed
foods and snacks branded under the Shangaan name for Mopani worm:
Masonja. The enterprise is being developed by a non-profit organisation,
Mohlanatsi, which has received R1,2 million from the Limpopo
LED Programme. The funding has been made from the Programme's
Marginalised Community Fund which aims to link poor rural communities
with the mainstream economy. In addition, funding will support the CSIR in the development of packaging and added value products. Mexican chilli, barbecue and jungle spice snacks are already being sold under the Masonja brand, but Mohlanatsi MD Abednigo Mashele says the enterprise hopes to sell such products as Masonja sausage, polony and a Marmite-like bread spread. Mashele says it's difficult to estimate demand for the products, but there is clearly great potential. Researchers estimate more than 1,6 million kilograms of Mopani worms are annually traded in South Africa.
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For more information,
please contact:
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C2C Aims To Move From Communal To Commercial
An
idea conceived by two retired Limpopo government officials is opening
opportunities for subsistence farmers to become small-scale commercial
farmers able to market good quality cattle. The plan, worked out
by retired government environmentalist Riem Venter and former teacher
Pat Mdluli, will enable subsistence farmers to graze and care for
their cattle on municipal and restituted land. Many beneficiaries of restituted property also suffer from a lack of grazing land.Many of these subsistence farmers are forced to haphazardly graze their cattle in limited areas or next to roads, often invading private property or endangering motorists. |
Developing municipal and restituted land for grazing on an organised, scientific basis backed by proper training and stock improvement programmes will not only stimulate local economic development but also reduce deforestation, unplanned veldfires and littering. Farmers are organising themselves into branches
of the C2C Agricultural Co-operative for each municipal area
in which well fenced land with suitable cattle handling facilities,
reticulated water, and livestock breeding and animal health programmes
will be developed. |
It will also improve the quality of all breeding stock, and the original female animals will gradually be replaced by breeding stock which can produce progeny able to compete on the open market: hence the progression from communal to commercial farming. Local emergent maize farmers could also benefit as suppliers of feed. Other indirect beneficiaries would be auctioneers, transport contractors, abattoirs, red meat distributors, retail butcheries, tanners, shoe manufacturers, producers and distributors of animal health products and equipment, and veterinarians. |
Potters Open New Markets With Their Indigenous Designs
A R1 million grant from the Limpopo LED Programme has enabled a small pottery business, which uses a unique indigenous design, to train other crafters and build a co-operative network, to increase production and to open new markets.
Based in a private game reserve near Phalaborwa,
Afrikania Pottery is creating a niche for itself by making pots
with a distinctive design based on a colourful synthesis of Pedi
and Tsonga cultural symbols. The design was originally identified
by Afrikania owner Tom Joubert in Lulekani village near Phalaborwa.
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The initiative aims to establish a
regional Co-operative Development Centre, three local hub centres,
and a village tourism network.
Afrikania has used its Limpopo LED Programme grant to:
Afrikania is now working with Inamazaan Pottery
near Hoedspruit and with crafters in Elim near Makhado. Groups
here include Mukondeni Village Potters and Mashamba Potters. However,
Afrikania has broadened the growing network by working with Elim-based
Tswananani Textiles which is now making products, such as beading,
with the Lulekani design.
Being able to fire products in a kiln has enabled Afrikania to exhibit at the prestige One-of-a-Kind show in Gauteng where it generated numerous orders for large pots which are much in demand. Afrikania has also made a major breakthrough by becoming a supplier to Tiger's Eye, South Africa's biggest craft retailer. For more information, please contact: Tom Joubert, Afrikania.
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Top People Support Development Of New Limpopo Tourism Hub
Plans
to develop a new tourism destination based on establishing a multi-faceted
heritage, arts and sports centre in Limpopo have drawn support
from an impressive range of personalities and organisations.
Ramaphosa has agreed to be patron of a Sports
School of Excellence; Nyandeni is keen to stage a theatre production
and contribute towards development of a new performing arts hub;
and Bouygues is already funding a number of initiatives. The attractions will then be integrated to form a multi-faceted tourism destination which will incorporate land recently restored to two communities: the Manavhela community which now owns the former Ben Lavin Nature Reserve; and the Magobo Rambau community whose claim includes Rossbach Forest.
The developers plan to take advantage of the
Hlanganani area's close proximity to the N1 highway and the R524,
the main routes used by tourists visiting Mapungubwe National Park
and Kruger National Park.
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Anchor projects being planned include:
Elizabeth Lemmer: +27 (0)79 438 3717; Nanki Malakoane:
+27 (0)83 630 4686.
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Reliving The Past A Mopani district village in which some 80% of residents are unemployed could become a tourist attraction. The Limpopo LED programme has granted R2,970,000 towards development of the Thomo Heritage Park which will take tourists into a bygone age. They will experience life in a "living" 19th century Tsonga village; stay in traditional huts and eat indigenous foods; and see people practising Iron Age metal crafting and traditional arts and crafts. The Limpopo LED Programme grant has been made to mining research and development group Mintek which is supporting the community-based Thomo Heritage Park Association to develop the project in and around Thomo village, a poverty-stricken community of 7,500 residents some 12 kilometres east of Giyani. Key components of the project are:
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The heritage park project aims to increase the appeal of the village and its attractions by upgrading the royal kraal, and the homes of the traditional healer, woodcarver and story teller. The heritage park will be marketed mainly through a sophisticated website with webcams of the living history museum and arts and crafts shop. This will be supported by conventional marketing through tour operators and brochures. An organisation known as ARISE (African Rural Initiatives for Sustainable Environments) will support environmental and natural resource rehabilitation of the area and such innovations as the establishment of an indigenous plant nursery. Developers estimate the project will directly benefit some 350 people, including homestead hosts, cooks, tour guides, performing groups and artists, agriculturists and traditional healers. Some 3,300 people could benefit as members of direct beneficiaries’ families and relatives, and from spin-off projects. The project will support the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy by supporting manufacturing through Tinghwazi Arts & Crafts Centre; agriculture through the indigenous nursery; and tourism through the Heritage Park as a whole. The project will be supported by comprehensive training programmes in management, book-keeping, marketing, heritage management and indigenous knowledge and skills. For more information, please contact: Noel Sellick, Mintek. |
Waste Not, Want Not Waste plastic makes a mess, but it can also make money for poor people and entrepreneurs, especially if they work together. The Limpopo LED Programme is helping them to do just that by awarding a grant of R1,365,000 to a waste plastic and recycling project in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality area. Once the project is established there, the project leaders aim to set up similar initiatives elsewhere in Limpopo. The grant has been made to Limpopo waste collection company LTT Algemene Handelaars which is forming a partnership with a Tzaneen women’s group, Ngalava Trust. They will encourage people from marginalised communities around Tzaneen to collect and sell to them waste plastic that will then be processed in a small recycling plant they plan to establish. The grant will support costs relating to the appointment and training of collectors, identification of collection points, procurement of handling equipment, and procurement and commissioning of the recycling plant. Until now, LTT has sent to Gauteng the waste it collects, so an added benefit of the project is that waste can be recycled and used in the province, thus reducing dependency on imports from outside Limpopo. LTT and Ngalava already have one key customer. A company run by Tzaneen entrepreneur Trevor Dunlop combines recycled, granulated plastics and wood fibres to manufacture attractive but tough and durable wood plastic composites. |
They can be turned into planks to make outdoor decking or used to make outdoor furniture, fencing and even school desks. Unlike wood, composites don’t shrink or twist and they can't be attacked by insects or fungi. They can even be made fire resistant. LTT estimates that a person can collect about 200 kilograms of plastic a day and sell it for about R1,000 a month. "All the bits of plastic that lie around now become a source of potential income for unskilled or unemployed people". says LTT. LTT estimates the project will create 25 jobs in the recycling plant and some 200 jobs in surrounding marginalised communities. Ngalava will hold 54% of the company operating the recycling plant, with LTT and Dunlop’s company holding the remaining shares. One of Ngalava’s responsibilities is to extend the project into other towns, thus creating additional jobs and small enterprises. The project also supports key national and provincial priorities to bring together the 1st and 2nd economies.
MP Lee LTT Algemene Handelaars |
Mmashadi Co-operative -- Jane Furse Waste Recycling
This project has received a grant of R698,506 to strengthen the Mmashadi Co-operative's waste recycling activities. The grant will help to finance a truck, forklift and a bore hole which will support expansion of its activities. Not only will the project help to create approximately 15 new jobs; it will also help with the environmental clean up of Jane Furse and its surroundings.
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Last Updated : December 2007