Vho Thovhele Midiyavhathu Kennedy Tshivhase hailed the signing on of a memorandum of understanding between his royal council and the University of Venda as a milestone that will bring massive investment in his area and the province. Tshivhase was speaking during the ceremony to sign a memorandum of agreement, whereby the royal council undertook to assist the University of Venda in processes to acquire the formal title to more than 200 hectares of communal land to which it is entitled in terms of the Communal Land Rights Act, and that it would do what might be necessary to assist the university in procuring a title deed to the land from Land Affairs. According to the Mr Takalani Dzaga, Director: Department of Communications at the university, the agreement is entered into in a spirit of mutual recognition and trust, in order that the citizens of Limpopo Province may benefit from the development of a university of excellence in the region. In the spirit of this agreement, the university council will seek opportunities for continued collaboration and shared ventures involving the university and the royal council, "more particularly with respect to community development projects as may be contemplated from time to time,” he said. Dzaga said the two parties agreed to facilitate the registration of university land, thereby ensuring that the university is empowered to continue to use and occupy such land for its higher educational purposes, including the development of existing amenities and facilities, and the provision of further student housing. Tshivhase urged the university to continue serving the poor rural communities, expressing the hope that their relationship will continue forever. This is not first signing the Tshivhase Royal Council has had. They have a memo of understanding with giant paper and wood company Komatiland, which will benefit the local community in terms of employment. They also have massive tea and banana projects that are a source of employment to most villagers. Univen Vice-Chancellor Prof Peter Mbati said the occasion could not have come at a better time as the university is presently undergoing a massive infrastructural revamp that would require more land. He said one of his immediate plans was to build residences for the many students who had to travel long distances to campus. “We have not been able to attract funding from business and companies because of the land issue. Now that this problem has been overcome, we will move with the utmost speed to address the accommodation challenge facing our students, ’he said. He said he wished the occasion bore fruits that would benefit the whole community.