Three years ago, our team embarked on a journey with the community of Mankweng, Polokwane. To envision a brighter future and together, work to implement practical projects that would improve the quality of life of Mankweng’s residents.
Earlier this month (April 2022), we had the privilege of reconnecting with community members and stakeholders in Mankweng. The purpose of the session was for the Ranyaka/Proud of my Town team to report back on work done in the area to date and to ask local residents for their feedback on how this work has impacted them.
The community expressed their gratitude and, we are humbled to say, applauded the team’s consistency and dedication. The project that they are most proud of is the food garden at Mahlanhle Primary School which has been flourishing under the watchful eyes of Kgopa Tladi, Ngwako Selamolela and Mokgalakgathe Tladi. We are also deeply appreciative of the ongoing support of the Kgoshi Mamabolo Tribal Council in Mankweng.
The yield from this garden that was installed in 2020 has not only enabled them to produce crops to feed the community, but also generated an income through the sales of vegetables to fix the school’s playground.
In addition, the garden club established another food garden at a neighbouring school so that these children can also benefit through the school’s feeding programme. The community has also identified land where they would like to establish a larger community food garden to build skills and create jobs. They are fundraising to launch this project within the next three months.
Highlights along this journey have included a harvest of 5,000 tomatoes and 3,500 cabbages in the past six months and a donation of 2,000 bundles of spinach to community members!
We are exceptionally proud of a group of local women from the Mankweng community who have also started their own small gardens at their homes – growing coffee beans for roasting, grinding and packaging. These are sold in and around Mankweng. Some women have also starting making items fro beads for resale. Their objective is to share their skills and create jobs for other young women in the area.
This dynamic community is truly an example of active citizens in action! We are proud of Mankweng and look forward to our journey ahead, together!
Images: Kenanyah Films Photography