THOTAYATAU: Clichéd as it might be, to the impoverished community of Thotayatau in Greater Taung, the words are like a dulcet to the ears.
The reference is to wise adage that, “Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.” It was while marking the United Nations sanctioned, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty that the North West MEC for Social Development, Basetsana Susanna Dantjie and national development agency (NDA) gave fishing equipment to Thotaatau Fish Harvest primary cooperative limited. The equipment came with the sum of over R321 000, which should help sustain the cooperative in its endeavours.
Dantjie, paying homage to the former national minister and the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, whose fish recipes dominated the social media platforms in the recent past, said fish is a favourite delicacy across the world. It is an excellent source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids, which lead to improved brain function. “We present to you this equipment that your cooperative can grow. The growth of your cooperative will help in curbing unemployment and eradicate poverty. “As a province, we are saddened by the report that there is 54% of unemployment rate, the highest of all provinces in the country. Our partnership with NDA means today we launch a double pivot on both unemployment and poverty reduction”.
MEC Dantjie told the villagers on the dusty and windy day that they will not dump the equipment and leave the cooperative members to their own devices. “The potential of this project is evident to all of us”, says Dantjie adding that she will engage with her counterparts at the departments of agriculture and economic development to add expertise. “The success of this need an inter-governmental approach. We must explore the options to advance the latent economic spinoffs”. As communities you must know the types of fish in your waters, and their market value.
We note with grave concern that people come from as far as Cape Town to fish here, doing so in an uncontrolled manner. We must conserve our river, Dantjie says because failure to do so will see a bleak future. “Those who fish here, especially at the mating season must be reported to the authorities. This is your wealth, you must treat this fish as if it is gold.”
Relaying the tough terrain the cooperative has navigated, Tebogo Matlonoko who is a project manager says it all started in 2001. The cooperative was allocated the land by the tribal authority, while the significant fund was in 2017 from the department of agriculture.
Kgosi Ponatshego Mothibi of Batlhaping boo Mothibi asked her community to protect the equipment. “We are happy that our fish will from now on go beyond food, but for development. We want to see the impact of this project so that people must see us for who we are, not the station of our village. The executive mayor of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Motseokae Maje says the equipment means more harvest, which in turn will need extra pair of hands, thereby creating employment. We are hopeful that soon, such initiative will be extended to a neighbouring community, which has raw honey in abundance.
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For Enquiries:
Departmental Spokesperson – Petrus Siko
Tel : 018 388 1426
Cell : 060 542 9383
Email : psiko@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by the Department of Social Development