Klipwal — Kubhedu CPA will grow from strength to strength
A total of 243 beneficiaries in this remote rural village of Klipwal situated in Sulphursprings in the Mkhondo local municipality, is one example of a growing farming community.
It is all thanks to the provincial department of agriculture, rural development and land administration’s Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP), whose main objective is to enhance rural development in the remotest areas
of the province.
What’s encouraging about Kubhedu CPA, is the passion that they possess for what they do for their livelihood, although at the moment they haven’t directly started earning as individuals from it, but do so as a group.
Kubhedu CPA, led by chairperson, Mr Mbongeni Vilakazi, was established in 2003 after they acquired the more than 1 300 hectares through the land reform programme.
For the past six years, since its inception, they have been sowing maize and dry beans at the enormous farm, which, according Vilakazi, has been earning them a sustainable income that has enabled them to grow the farming business and look
into more options that would make them succeed even further.
They are also beneficiaries of the department’s fencing assistance, which has seen them offered a 13.1 kilometre fencing around their farm.
Out of the maize that they produce from the farm, they have a ready market in Delfkom Mills locally, who buy their maize to produce maize meal for the market. Kubhedu earns between R60 000 to R70 000 per annum from the sales,
thereof.
“We’ve decided that during the ploughing season this year, we will sow soya beans on a big scale because our objective now is to enter into the bi-fuel production industry. At the moment, we have experienced escalating price hikes in seeds, fertilizers, hence we went back to the department for assistance,” explains Vilakazi.
According to Agricultural Extension Officer in the area, Mr Thulani..........., he is till arranging to secure a good market for their products, especially beans, as he revealed that soya beans have a good market.
“Soya beans have a good market price and we are still awaiting equipment to handle its farming. It is unlike maize, which you can handle with bare hands when harvesting, but with soya, you need special machinery and two tractors. Our ultimate aim is to venture into bio-fuels,” further explains Vilakazi.
Although Kubhedu CPA owns almost 1 300 hectares, at the moment they have only been able to utilise only 400 hectares. As you gaze across the maize fields, one’s gaze stretches far away into the horizons where land is still waiting
to be tilled by this community.
Management-wise, Kubhedu CPA seem to have struck the right chord, as it has aims of sub-dividing its beneficiaries into groups of 18 people each. Each group will special in certain aspects of farming
like poultry, vegetable production, livestock farming, including crop production, of course.
“It is through such initiatives that we will begin to realise real growth and members will begin to earn directly from the particular product they are involved in. For now, as a management committee, what we earn, we deposit in the bank and re-invest some of it back into the project,” says secretary of the management committee, Mr Sipho Vilakazi.
“It’s very important for people to do what they are comfortable with and to be fully involved in the work in progress. Each family within the village, has a representative and should death occur or children grow older, they are also incorporated into the project through being registered.
“Our committee meets regularly to deliberate on a number of issues, then report to the community frequently,” they said.
The Management Committee consists of the following: Chairperson – Mr Mbongeni Vilakazi, Deputy Chairperson – Mr Benjamin Sibiya, Secretary – Mr Sipho Vilakazi, Deputy Secretary – Ms thembalihle Khumalo and Treasurer – Mr Mbizi Mngomezulu.
The Grain Committee is led by Chairperson – Mr Mbongeni Vilakazi and members of the committee comprise of the following: Mr Elijah Mdiniso, Mr Abel Khumalo, Mr Sipho Vilakazi, Ms Thandokwakhe Ndlangamandla, Mr Mthembeni Ndlangamandla,
Mr Mhlaiseni Khalishwayo, Mr Sipho Khalishwayo, Mr Mbizi Mngomezulu and Mr Jerry Ndlangamandla.
This is a community really at work and honest with each other.
