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The executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Cllr Falaza Mdaka (left), hands over a token of appreciation to the grandson of former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, Chief Zwelivelile Mandela (right), while the Chief Whip in the South African Parliament, Dr Mathole Motshekga (middle) looks on.

Rural development initiative launched at Ha-Matsila

 

The Chief Whip of the South African Parliament, Dr Mathole Motshekga, says the government is committed to providing what it has promised the people.

He was speaking during the official launching of a rural development project initiative at Makhethakhetha Ha-Matsila village in the Masia area last Saturday, as part of government´s commitment to eradicating poverty.

He said he was happy that when the ANC said that development was one of its priorities in the communities, it really meant it. He said he had visited the Masia area to check if the ANC was really doing what it had promised the people. "The launching of a rural development project is proof that government is committed to delivering services to the people. Government has declared war on poverty," he said.

Mutshekga, a former premier of Gauteng, said the partnership between government and traditional healers had to be strengthened. "The partnership will not be complete if we do not bring traditional healers on board. All the herbalists in the area must be registered," he said.

The project has already employed 30 community members who were unemployed in the village and seeks to create more jobs. Motshekga also handed over an electricity project to the residents during the event. Community members were over the moon to see a light at night for the first time after a decade of darkness in their village. Forty households benefited from the electrification project.

The event was addressed by the Chief of the Mvezo area in the Eastern Cape, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, who said he was honoured to be part of the handing over of the electrification project and the launching of a rural development project at Matsila. He said that Matsila village, like Mvezo, still had a poor road infrastructure, a lack of basic services like water, primary health care, sanitation and quality education. He said Matsila and Mvezo, the village where former president Nelson Mandela was born, shared common challenges.

The village received R5.1 million from the National Lottery Board. The chairperson of the board, Prof Alfred Nevhutanda, said they wanted to give back the money to the community for a good cause.

Matsila is the second village in Limpopo where the rural development project was launched. The first village was Muyexe in Giyani, which was declared one of the poorest village in the country.

Chief Vho-Nthumeni Masia urged community members to refrain from sitting at home, drinking traditional beer the whole day, and to take part in the development that was happening in the area.

News - Date: 06 August 2010

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Peter Muthambi

Peter Muthambi graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies. He started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror as well as national papers in 2006. He loves investigative journalism and is also a very keen photographer.

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