By Pelane Phakgadi and Matsobane Manaka
Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Bella Kupa-Mabuza plants a tree during the Provincial World Food Day.
A total of 300 indigent households from various villages around Ga-Molepo, including Tshebela, Bethel, Sebjeng, Mogano, Rampheri, Maphetoane, and Boshega, have received food parcels and agricultural inputs in an effort to strengthen household food production. The process of identifying households was done through the Local Councillor and the Social worker.
This initiative is in support of the Provincial World Day commemorated at Botshega village, Ga-Mothapo on 14 November 2025.
MEC Nakedi Kekana together with the Executive Mayor of Polokwane, Cllr Makoro John Mpe and distinguished dignitaries have demonstrated the planting of vegetable gardens as part of raising awareness on food insecurity and hunger and encouraging the community and institutions to establish vegetable gardens to produce their own home-grown fresh produce.
In her keynote address, MEC Kekana said, “Today’s commemoration is not only symbolic—it is practical. We are distributing food parcels and production inputs to identified vulnerable households, ensuring that this celebration has a tangible impact on the lives of our people”.
“In Limpopo, we have long used this day to engage directly with impoverished communities—to listen, to support, and to act. It is a daily mission and a shared responsibility that binds us as government, communities, and humanity at large”.
She made assertion that this is also an opportunity to renew “our commitment as a province to strengthening household food production and resilience against poverty and hunger”. She indicated that when families produce their own vegetables, they spend less of their income on food, leaving room for other essential needs like education, healthcare, and electricity. “This is how we build food-secure, self-sufficient communities from the ground up”.
MEC continued that this year’s theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”, calls upon “us to unite in transforming our food systems, to embrace collaboration across sectors, and to ensure that our efforts today leave behind a better, more food-secure tomorrow. It speaks to FAO’s 80th anniversary message that lasting change is achieved when we work together, hand in hand, for a shared purpose”.
The beneficiaries have additionally received about 728 trees—comprising 627 fruit trees, 100 indigenous trees, and one Baobab— which have been planted in Botshega village alone. This initiative is not only about greening the province, but also about ensuring sustainable sources of food, shade, and environmental restoration. This is through One Million Trees Programme, which forms part of the United Nations Environment Programme where the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development works closely with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. Additional partners that continue to drive change for better food and better future included the Capricorn District and Polokwane Local Municipalities; the Molepo Traditional Authority; the Limpopo Agroecology Network; and all community organizations and volunteers.
