Members of the African Farmers’ Association of SA (Afasa) have been touched by the impact of Coronavirus, particularly on impoverished communities who are grappling with poverty during the national lockdown. Their main aim is to donate 50 cows, which would be to be slaughtered and processed into 5000 meat parcels of 5kg to be distributed across KZN.
25 cows were recently handed to the provincial government at an event held by the Department of Agriculture, in Cedara, near Pietermaritzburg. Jabulani Mthembu, Afasa Chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal said while the agricultural sector had its own challenges it was in the spirit of ubuntu to lend a hand to the less fortunate families.
“We decided to start this initiative and the response is positive. We are expecting more, and many of our stakeholders want to come on board. The department of agriculture would assist in identifying certified abattoirs where the cows would be slaughtered and processed,” said Mthembu. Bongi Sithole-Moloi, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC added that she was delighted the private sector has come on board to join forces in fighting poverty.
Given the association’s act of kindness, Sihle Zikalala, Premier of Kwa-Zulu Natal said the department, in turn, has added 40 cows to ensure enough meat is available as part of the food parcels. “As a province whose livelihood largely depends on agriculture, we are forever cognizant that to prosper we cannot have our rural communities especially the farm-workers and farm-dwellers languishing in poverty. It pleases us that we are seeing these organisations working together with government in an act of ubuntu,” said Zikalala.
