The Motsepe Foundation has allocated R6 million to the Vhembe district municipality to develop and uplift the communities in the district through setting up co-operatives.

On Thursday, 24 October, members of various religious denominations, young people, women in business, workers' organisations, traditional councils, local business owners and teachers gathered at the town hall during the foundation’s road show. These are the stakeholders who will benefit from the allocated funds.

The Motsepe Foundation was initiated by mining magnate Patrice Motsepe to help marginalised, poor and rural communities. During the road show, he announced that the funds should be spent before June next year.

Mr Motsepe commended churches and traditional authorities for being the custodians of culture. He said working with these stakeholders would help to combat the scourge of diseases, poverty or any other threats to society. People from various sectors in the district elected their committees which will help channel the funds and also monitor how the funds are being spent. "The funds must develop the impoverished communities and people,” he said.

Delegates from the public protector's office in Limpopo were also present at the Motsepe Foundation road show. Accompanied by two investigators, the Outreach Education and Communication officer in Limpopo, Ms Jay Nkuna, said that one of the public protector’s findings was that hospitals in the district were in a dire situation.

“The Tshilidzini hospital needs urgent attention and suffers from a shortage of water,” she said. The municipality promised the public protector that they would use some of the Motsepe Foundation’s money to solve the water problems at Tshilidzini Hospital swiftly.

“The executive mayor promised that some of the money allocated to the district will be used to fund a borehole project at Tshilidzini,” she said. She said after the observation during the Motsepe Foundation road show, they were going to follow up on the proposed Tshilidzini Hospital project to find out if it was continuing.