Newsroom

By Zwi Maphiri, Matsobane Manaka and Tebogo Mabidilala

MEC Nakedi Kekana encouraged all South Africans to establish food gardens to combat poverty, hunger, and inequality. Accompanied by Hosi Aaron Mahumani and representatives from Greater Giyani Local Municipality, Kekana led the team of her Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in planting food gardens, painting of office block and taking out weeds at Tanani Matiko Disability Cooperative in honour of Mandela Month. 

The 67 minutes of time spent for collective volunteerism in collaboration with stakeholders, which aimed to change the lives of the community took place at Xawela village in Giyani, Mopani District, on 18 July 2025.

The theme for this year’s event is, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequality”. The theme promotes the urgent need of planting vegetables to dismantle poverty and inequality to ensure no one in community goes to bed hungry. However, it further calls on all individuals, civil society, and businesses to join hands in growing food for shared benefits.

Upon handing over of garden tools, paints, and seeds, MEC expressed satisfaction for this multiple awards winning Cooperative for demonstrating its resilience of starting small and gradually grew to the stage of self-sustainability. “Let it not end only with food consumption, but also plant to commercialise, which is one of the reasons we are here to put into action the President Ramaphosa’s priority identical to the one of former state President Nelson Mandela who advocated people’s empowerment through policies”.

MEC Kekana had appreciated Tanani Matiko’s unity in promoting food security and creating jobs; and called for other Corporatives to replicate similar initiatives that could make much easier for government to come with better policies that will subsequently stabilize the economy.

She said combating poverty is possible when “we act together as a nation that works for all”.