As part of the Rural Development's women empowerment programme, MEC of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Zoleka Capa, donated six industrial sewing machines and overlockers, worth R2 million, to three women-owned local co-operatives.
As part of the Rural Development's women empowerment programme, MEC of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Zoleka Capa, donated six industrial sewing machines and overlockers, worth R2 million, to three women-owned local co-operatives.
The event took place in front of the City Hall in Church Square on Tuesday, 11 March 2014.
Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape's Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Department, Ayabulela Ngoqo, said the project was established in conjunction with the Textile-SETA and the women will be going to Mpofu Training College, near Fort Beaufort, to receive advanced training in textiles.
"We also have an understanding with the department of Health that will see the women providing items such as bed linen, gowns and pillows, to the local Settlers Hospital," said Ngoqo.
Chairperson of one of the beneficiaries, Lilithalethu Co-operative, Monica Jacob, said the machines will ensure smooth operations in the business as their old machines constantly broke down, forcing them to wait for repairs from Port Elizabeth.
The co-operative, made up of five women and one man, designs everything from graduation gowns, traditional wear, church and school uniforms to skirts and jackets.
Jacob said it was the first time their business had received such a substantial donation and she was grateful.
Nonzaliseko Namata, from Nontembeko Hand Craft Co-operative, said their business was previously limited in what it could produce as they had relied "on the small domestic machines which could not work on stubborn fabric.
"These industrial machines are powerful and fast, so we will now be able to produce more goods – and the fact that we now have additional machines means we can employ people," she said
Meanwhile the R7.6 million, state-of-the-art Lukhanyiso poultry abattoir was one of the sites visited by Capa on Tuesday.
The facility, situated in the industrial zone near Waainek, forms part of a number of projects of the Department of Agriculture aimed at empowering emerging local farmers and addressing the lack of employment in Grahamstown.
The project has 278 beneficiaries – 149 of whom are women, 68 are youths and six are disabled people – and is expected to create 26 jobs.
When at full capacity it will produce 2 000 broilers per day.
Development technician at the Grahamstown Agriculture Department, Zama Zikhali, said that Capa (who was seeing it for the first time) was "very happy" with state of the abattoir.
"It's a first of it's kind in the region," said Zikhali.
He said the abattoir will open within a month.
Ngoqo said a number of women-owned, local co-operatives will supply the abattoir with chicken.
