Mayor’s mission to promote self-reliance

RURAL communities should utilise land at their disposal to alleviate poverty by creating home vegetable gardens.

This was the message of Nkandla Mayor Thamsanqa Ntuli, speaking during his visit to Ward 14 communities where he planted fruit and vegetables, showing rural women how it is done.

‘I am here to encourage you to exploit agricultural opportunities as a means of breaking the chains of poverty,’ Ntuli said.

‘As part of pledging the municipality’s support for rural development, we have set aside R6-million, which will be used to buy three tractors for the use by this community. Our intention is to revive a culture of self-reliance.

‘People should not only depend on government for everything, they must also do things for themselves.’

Ntuli was accompanied by iNkosi Zuma of the Nxamalala clan and iNkosi Dhlomo of Makhabeleni, both instrumental in unlocking rural development.