Saai, the Executive of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NHTKL), AfriForum, and the office of Morena e Moholo (Principal Traditional Leader) Montoeli Mota of the Batlokoa Ba Mota today announced the successful implementation of a solar-driven water supply system that reliably supplies water to the offices of the Batlokoa Ba Mota Traditional Council and the local vegetable garden. The vegetable garden will not only supply vegetables to the local feeding scheme, which currently faces vegetable supply shortages, but will also create the opportunity for community members for training, skills transfer and to earn an income. A water tank, that gives community members access to water, was also put into operation. This comes as the NHTKL took the lead in forging the historic partnership as part of the inaugural annual Lenaka Memorial Lecture held at Manthatisi Secondary School in Sedibeng, Phuthaditjhaba, Free State Province by the end of 2024.
"Reliable supply of water to the offices of our Traditional Council, which plays such a pivotal role in the life of our community, will come a long way to restoring our dignity as a rural community. I am excited by the opportunity for positive impact created by the vegetable garden. My people and I are grateful to the partners for bringing hope and adding lasting value to our kingdom," says Morena e Moholo Montoeli Mota, Morena e Moholo of the Batlokoa Ba Mota cultural community.
"The annual Lenaka Lecture serves as a platform to celebrate our rich heritage while promoting inclusive socio-economic development within traditional communities. We follow an approach of strengthening partnerships, enhancing institutional capacity, and unlocking opportunities for sustainable growth. We are encouraged that this initiative led to the establishment of infrastructure and a project that has the potential to leave a lasting positive legacy," says Kgosi Thabo Seatlholo, Chairperson of the NHTKL.
"It is a great privilege for AfriForum to be a partner of the NHTKL in this initiative, that not only contributes towards socio-economic development but also the strengthening of cultural identity and the restoration of a healthy cultural self-image, as both these aspects are crucial for cultural communities to realise their full potential. We are thankful for our members and the project sponsors that put us in the position to contribute towards making this cultural community, with whom we have the privilege of having a mutual recognition and collaboration agreement, more self-sufficient and self-reliant. A network of cultural communities, built between grassroots cultural communities based on mutual recognition and respect, is growing stronger and is paving the way for a prosperous future for the children of all communities in the country," says Barend Uys, Head of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum.
"There is no sector of the economy that can create as many opportunities to generate wealth in such a short space of time as agriculture can. We urgently need more food to be produced in our country, and for that we need more farmers. We are grateful for this opportunity to empower community members in a deep rural, communal area to curb malnutrition and make a life through agriculture," says Dr Theo de Jager, Chairman of the Board of Saai.