The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture (DoA) has delivered vital water infrastructure and production support to communities in Nqanqarhu (Maclear), bringing critical relief to vegetable-producing farmers who struggled with irrigation.
The investment was celebrated by jubilant farmers during the official handover of the spring water projects, production inputs, and gardening tools, delivered as part of the Ilima/Letsema Lokulima Programme, which encourages the use of arable land.
Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe officially handed over the Sigoga and Saqhuthe villages spring water projects today. This initiative enhances water access for rural communities, providing clean water for domestic use and irrigating food gardens through 26 new water points for 205 households.
To ensure synergy between water availability and food security, the MEC provided production inputs to 120 beneficiaries. This move aims to reduce food insecurity, boost local production, and enable the aggregation of food for potential markets.
Ntombizanele Sonkwenye from Sigoga village expressed relief, noting that the community previously battled to access water and had to walk long and dangerous distances to fetch water.
While in Lower Tsitsana village, MEC Kontsiwe also handed over 32 industrial sewing machines (overlockers and straight machines) to 16 women-led enterprises from three Joe Gqabi local municipalities, fostering local economic development.
“The areas where we previously fetched water were overgrown with bushes and dangerous, creating fear, especially when sending our children during these times of high crime. But the government has now provided us with water straight from the mountain. Today, we are drinking clean, healthy water. We are truly overjoyed and grateful for this support from our government” said Sonkwenye who is one of the beneficiaries of the Ilima lokuLima programme.
