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NEWS2 November 2007 Page 5
17 November (continued from Page 4)VENUE: V Hall Umlazi (Zone 7)
WARD NAME OF ORGANISATION ADDRESS GOODS REQUIRED
86 Buhlebethu Caterers Club Z 552 Umlazi 150 x plates, 120 x spoons, 20 x cups, 20 x saucers, 2 x gas stove, 1 x gas cylinder, 1x fire extinguisher, 1 x 30 litre pot, 1 x stainless food warmer, 1 x 8 litre urn , 96 x desert bowl
87 Abenzi Bokuhle Cultural Group Acivi D 1195 Umlazi Township 1 x sound system, 1 x bass guitar, 1 x lead guitar, 1 x keyboard87 Khuthala Women’s Club D 1010 Umlazi 12 x hoes, 12 spades, 12 forks, 2 x 2metre gates,
R4 560 seed voucher, 2 x hosepipes, 2 x wheelbarrow87 Independent Zamokuhle Construction D 1071 Umlazi R10 500 cheque88 Kwashaka Waves/ Da Lyricals A 220 Umlazi township R10 500 cheque88 Unomqhubukusho A 879 Zitinini Rd Umlazi 2 x computers85 Sfisosethu Club P 597 Umlazi R50 000
Grants-in-Aid Distributions: 2007
DERRICK DLAMINI
SATURDAY, 10 November, isMarket Day at the DurbanExhibition Centre, so bringyour baskets and stock upon fresh, organic veggiesdirect from eThekwinimarket gardeners andemerging farmers.
Beetroot, spinach, lettuce,peppers, potatoes and eggswill be just some of theproduce on sale atreasonable prices by farmersfrom areas such asKwaMashu, Lamontville,Cliffdale and KwaXimba.
Some of the co-ops willalso be exhibiting arts and
crafts, which could be justthe thing to fill thoseChristmas stockings.
Cooking demonstrationsby professional chefs havebeen arranged and there willbe an animal farm and ponyrides to keep the childrenentertained.
FreeEntry is free to the public.The City’s AgriBusiness
Forum and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agri-culture are hosting the Agri-Business Market Day.
The initiative aims todevelop the agricultural
potential of farmers and co-operatives and to introducethem to new markets, saidAkhona Ngcobo, ProjectExecutive with the City’sAgribusiness Forum.
It also seeks to create jobsand improve food security.
Ngcobo encouraged foodmanufacturers, retailers,caterers, and tourismcompanies to attend andform partnerships with thefarmers.
For more details, contactNgcobo on 031 336 2545 oremail:[email protected] , or call MelisaO’Reilley at 031 336 2532.
THEMBA KHUMALO
THE Ilima community farm-ing project has put downroots in uMlazi, bringing withit the promise of more locally-grown food. It was launchedrecently at the Josiah DlaminiCommunity Hall and reflec-ted this year’s World Food Daytheme: “The right to food”.
It is an initiative by Feed-back Food Redistribution, theMunicipality and the KZNHealth Department.
Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalalapraised all involved. “Withoutvolunteers we would not beable to identify the needs ofthese families who aresupported by organisations
such as Feedback,” she said. Feedback collects and redis-
tributes more than 14 millionmeals a year.
Its community develop-ment manager, NomakulaMarubata, said the Ilimaconcept was about sharingthe produce of one’s owngarden among the group.
“Some gardeners have pro-gressed to the point whereexcess vegetables are soldwithin the community as partof their income stream.”
Jabulile Khambule of theVukani Community Projectsaid he was confident theinitiative would contribute tothe growth of uMlazi.
DERRICK DLAMINI
AFTER decades of rough andready trading conditions,livestock theft and disease,the goat traders of Ezim-buzini in uMlazi finally havesomething to smile about: apurpose built new tradinghub that promises to taketheir ancient trade into the21st century.
Work on the R3-million-plus facility is already at anadvanced stage. Each of the20 goat-traders who will bebased there will have a 20sqmlock-up facility and a fencedtrading area.
They’ll all share the benefitof round-the-clock securityand a cleaning contractor,parking bays, and loadingand off-loading zones.
Officials from the City’sBusiness Support Unit (BSU)described the facility as thefirst of its kind for themunicipality.
Area Manager for SouthDurban Samson Chiya saidthe elevation of the gen-erations-old business waslong overdue.
“Their environment wascompletely abnormal andnot conducive to professionaltrading practices. It’sinconceivable how they’ve
managed to conduct normaltrading routines under suchunforgiving circumstances.”
Chiya said the facility hadbeen strategically placed nextto a “muthi” market to takeadvantage of cultural prac-tices associated with goat-trading.
BSU official Thulani Nzamasaid the development showedthe Council’s commitment toimproving previously-mar-ginalised businesses, inclu-ding goat-trading. “Livestocktrading is a pivotal aspect ofour society and requiresutmost support.”
SavingsNzama said the secure, new
facility would save the tradersa fortune in after-hourstransport costs.
Albert Mthethwa (55), agoat trader for 22 years, saidthe new facility was anexample of Batho-Pele(people first) principles atwork. “Finally, we’ll tradeprofessionally, under hygi-enic conditions.”
Colleague Smangaliso Mak-hathini said trading con-ditions had been extremelydifficult.
“For years there has been aslight decline in customers, as
most of our livestock hassuffered from diseasescaused by bad weather. Thisforced us to drop prices andoperate at a loss.
“So we’re extremely gratefulto the municipality,” Mak-hathini said.
Negotiations betweenofficials and traders overrentals are under way. “Thissignifies the importance ofclose consultations, which iswhat the unit constantlythrives on,” said the BSU’sNzama.
The facility is due to opennext year, with officials prom-ising similar developmentson other Council-owned landshould the need arise.
No kidding!R3m goattrading hubfor uMlazi
ROMITA HANUMAN
FISH farming, bee-keepingand organic mushroom grow-ing are some of the innovativeagri-business ventures beingpursued in an effort tostimulate the economy ofCato Manor.
Urban agriculture hasemerged as one of the morepromising initiatives of theCato Manor Area BasedManagement (ABM) pro-gramme. The idea is to har-ness the energies of joblessyouth in the area and unlockthe potential of pockets ofland not suitable for housingand other infrastructure.
As much of this land issloped, creative farming tech-niques must be used to ensuresustainable yields withoutharming the environment.
Njabulo Maseko, Commu-nications Manager at the CatoManor ABM said the projectincluded activities like fishfarming, organic vegetableproduction, bee keeping,production nursery andorganic mushroom produc-tion. This broad range of cropsand products provides a widertraining spectrum for thebeneficiaries, qualifying themfor numerous agriculturalsegments.
Despite the diversity, theactivities were inter-con-nected. “An example is beekeeping. It also ensures allplants are adequately polli-nated,” Maseko said.
Training is now under way inthe organic vegetable pro-duction segment, which in-volves growing crops withoutthe use of fertilisers or otherchemicals.
Trainees will also get moreadvanced training in business,marketing and financialmanagement.
This will enable them tolearn about starting up andrunning a sustainable agri-cultural business.
Mentorship is being pro-vided by the agricultural andtechnical specialists on theproject team.
Technical training is alsoplanned for young peoplewho are not agriculturallyinclined, but more competentin the business side.
A processing centre willeventually be established toprepare the products formarket.
OLD: The Business Support Unit’s Samson Chiya, and trader SmangalisoMakhathini point to the run-down goat-trading site in uMlazi’s Ezimbuzini area
NEW: The R3-million facility, now under construction,will give each goat trader 20sqm of space
Pictures: DERRICK DLAMINI
Organic veggies on saleFood project takes root
Busy asbees inCatoManor
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