tame TIMES
winner of the 2012 & 2013 ekurhuleni awards: best print media
Vosloorus, Phumula, Spruitview, Leondale
Becoming the voice of Ekurhuleni
Volume 03, 27 March 2014, Week 13
www.tametimes.co.za
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Fighting war against hunger Charity Moyo charity@tametimes.co.za Gone are the days were former Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)cadres used the barrel of the gun to fight for land ownership, this time around they are fighting a different war against hunger by practising farming. 15 former MK members from three different cooperatives, namely; Jalamba, Kateko and Mthebe have amalgamated to form one cooperative based on plot number 91 Old Heidelberg road in Vosloorus. Their plot is about 10 hectors of land and they keep livestock; they have about 135 cattle, 150 goats and sheep and more than 100 pigs. Speaking to tame TIMES, Christian Tunywa, spokesperson of the cooperative said, agriculture was part of their training in exile. He said they were born and bred in rural villages where they used to head cattle and farm. “We understand that the riches of our country come from the soil, hence we are defending the economic gains of the revolution through farming and livestock ranching. People are not paying attention to farming especially in urban areas and we need to make a mark,”
said Tunywa. He said they want to end the myth that black people are not commercial farmers but they practise substance farming. “We want to close a gap of the country depending on white farmers in terms of food security. We want to prove a point that black people are also capable of commercial farming,” he said. Tunywa said they are aligning themselves with the policies of the government to empower the youth. “We have employed eight members of the youth and encouraging them to love animals and pursue careers in agriculture. Farming is the back bone of our economy. We are also going back to our roots and teaching the youth not to fear cattle,” said Tunywa. He added that the challenge that hinders their progress is scarcity of resources. He highlighted that their intention was to also to do both commercial farming and livestock keeping but they don’t have the resources. Tunywa appealed to the government to invest in existing black farmers. For those who want to buy cattle’s, goats, sheep’s and pigs for weddings and functions should contact the cooperative at 011 892 0429 \ 078 858 4474.
Christian Tunywa, spokesperson of the cooperative and Camagu Macingwane, a general work at the cooperative are standing next to the cattle that belongs to the cooperative.
The cooperatives members during apartheid era fighting a war against land ownership , now they are farmers.