The quest to promote donkey carts as a cheap means of public transport in rural areas of Limpopo continues to make an impact on rural donkey cart owners.

This comes after 43 rural donkey cart owners received donkey cart kits from the Musina Municipality on Monday. Each kit includes two sets of harnesses, reflector jacket, three donkey cart reflectors and a number plate. The donkey carts owners are citizens of Madimbo, Domboni and Malale villages, outside Musina.

When handing over the equipment to the donkey carts owners, Cllr Gabriel Ramushwana of the Musina Municipality said the project was a joint effort between the Department of Roads and Transport, various municipalities in Limpopo, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). He said cart owners had been taught how to take care of the animals and how to ensure that their carts were roadworthy.

Ramushwana said the government is getting involved because the cart owners are usually very poor and can´t afford to buy all these extras. "We do not only see the project as a tourist attraction, but a new industry, where carts owners can make money transporting luggage for people and even supplying water to houses in rural areas. Donkey carts have been an informal mode of transport for as long as we can remember. They have been driven on our public roads for many years and this is the time to formalize this type of transport.”

He added that, in the past, many cars drove into the back of the carts because they were not visible enough. “Each donkey cart will be registered and issued with a registration number, such as ADC 353 L. The ADC stands for Animal Drawn Cart. We have no doubt that this will assist in the visibility of the donkey carts and they will also be accorded the status of official users of our public roads.”

One of the recipients of the donkey cart kits, William Sikhipha (59), said: “We are very happy because we will now be able to use the public roads with ease. We would also like to commend the government for thinking about us as we are also enjoying the fruits of our hardearned democracy. Our donkeys will also be able to draw the carts easily because they will be fitted with comfortable harnesses. We do not have enough words to express our gratitude.”