Marikana: As Mandela Month draws to a close, the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater and the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA), has launched a food garden initiative in Marikana, aimed at improving food security and promoting community self-reliance.
According to South African Government News Agency, the initiative has provided 150 beneficiaries with production inputs, including gardening tools, seeds, seedlings, and other essential resources, supported by ongoing technical assistance from the department. This initiative forms part of efforts to honour the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela by empowering communities to take practical steps towards sustainable livelihoods and long-term food security.
By encouraging household and community food production, the programme seeks to improve access to nutritious food while creating opportunities for residents to generate an income from the sale of surplus produce. Rather than simply handing over production inputs, North West Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Madoda Sambatha, officials from the MDA, Sibanye-Stillwater, and the department's extension officers spent a day working alongside beneficiaries, sharing practical skills and technical knowledge to help ensure the food gardens thrive long after Mandela Month concludes at the end of July.
As part of the department's Mandela Month programme, food gardens were also established at schools and in community backyard gardens, where learners and residents received hands-on training in sustainable food production and garden maintenance. Marikana II Primary School Principal Dikgang Andrew Phuza welcomed the support, saying the initiative will strengthen the school's food garden and enhance its ability to support learners through improved food production.
Through its ongoing support, the MDA and Sibanye-Stillwater have helped lay a strong foundation for the initiative by providing vital infrastructure and equipment to help beneficiaries expand their projects and build more sustainable livelihoods. Sibanye-Stillwater Executive Vice President for Stakeholder Relations, Thabisile Phumo, described the initiative as an important step towards building self-sustaining communities.
Addressing beneficiaries, Sambatha said the partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater and the MDA demonstrates how collaboration can deliver tangible benefits for communities. He further called for closer collaboration between the department and the MDA to replicate similar projects in other districts across the province.
In the true spirit of Nelson Mandela's legacy, the department said the initiative was about more than dedicating 67 minutes of service, but about 'planting the seeds of hope, dignity and self-reliance, seeds that will continue to grow, nourish families and strengthen communities for years to come.'