A partnership between a rural development trust and an East London-based investment company, has seen rural communities flourish in farming while acquiring interests in manufacturing.
The Zulukama Trust, which was established in Hewu (Whittlesea), has used its investments to add value to its work in co-operatives in rural villages.
The trust has an interest in Ikusasa Green, a company that produces roto-moulding cooler boxes at a factory in Stutterheim.
It is also invested in gaming and leisure through Lukhanji Leisure which owns Queens Casino and Hotel. The trust has facilitated the work of 70 co-operatives pursuing commercial farming.
“The Zulukama Trust facilitates linkages with government – from local to national – and the private sector, for example the National Wool Growers’ Association. There is an extensive training programme which has been implemented with various partners in the area,” spokesman of the Zulukama Traditional Council, Prince Joseph Madlongwana Madlongwana said.
“For instance there are seven co-operatives for sheep. Each has 100 ewes and four rams, making the total 728. There’s another group of four co-operatives that have been helped by ECDC to produce fresh vegetables to sell to the community.”
The trust marked its 10-year milestone on April 21, with an event attended by Land Affairs Minister Gugile Nkwinti, who handed over a state-of-the-art fully equipped sheep-shearing shed.
Chris Hani district municipality executive mayor Mxoliso Koyo and Lukhanji local municipality mayor Nozibele Makanda attended the event. Madlongwana added that beef production had been boosted with feeding pens to fatten cattle.
“Now abattoirs come to us and buy cattle from the area,” Madlongwana said.
“This can be developed into a template that can be replicated in other rural areas. It eliminates the middlemen who reduce cattle farmers into price-takers.”
The trust is set to expand its manufacturing interests through Ikusasa Green, which currently produces high-end durable cooler boxes for the Massmart Group, Agrinet and for export into African markets, Kula Investment Group executive chairman Mkululi Pakade said.
Ikusasa Green recently secured a contract with Massmart to supply a new, cheaper line of 20000 cooler boxes annually, which will be produced from a Dimbaza factory to be opened in July.
This will see Ikusasa Green double its output volumes for the Massmart Group, a retail giant with Game, Makro, Jumbo and Builders Warehouse among its subsidiaries.
According to Pakade, R10-million has been injected into the Dimbaza factory in partnership with the Eastern Cape economic development department, for the new cooler box line. — DDR
Trust helps co-ops thrive
The Zulukama Trust, which was established in Hewu (Whittlesea), has used its investments to add value to its work in co-operatives in rural villages.
The trust has an interest in Ikusasa Green, a company that produces roto-moulding cooler boxes at a factory in Stutterheim.
It is also invested in gaming and leisure through Lukhanji Leisure which owns Queens Casino and Hotel. The trust has facilitated the work of 70 co-operatives pursuing commercial farming.
“The Zulukama Trust facilitates linkages with government – from local to national – and the private sector, for example the National Wool Growers’ Association. There is an extensive training programme which has been implemented with various partners in the area,” spokesman of the Zulukama Traditional Council, Prince Joseph Madlongwana Madlongwana said.
“For instance there are seven co-operatives for sheep. Each has 100 ewes and four rams, making the total 728. There’s another group of four co-operatives that have been helped by ECDC to produce fresh vegetables to sell to the community.”
The trust marked its 10-year milestone on April 21, with an event attended by Land Affairs Minister Gugile Nkwinti, who handed over a state-of-the-art fully equipped sheep-shearing shed.
Chris Hani district municipality executive mayor Mxoliso Koyo and Lukhanji local municipality mayor Nozibele Makanda attended the event. Madlongwana added that beef production had been boosted with feeding pens to fatten cattle.
“Now abattoirs come to us and buy cattle from the area,” Madlongwana said.
“This can be developed into a template that can be replicated in other rural areas. It eliminates the middlemen who reduce cattle farmers into price-takers.”
The trust is set to expand its manufacturing interests through Ikusasa Green, which currently produces high-end durable cooler boxes for the Massmart Group, Agrinet and for export into African markets, Kula Investment Group executive chairman Mkululi Pakade said.
Ikusasa Green recently secured a contract with Massmart to supply a new, cheaper line of 20000 cooler boxes annually, which will be produced from a Dimbaza factory to be opened in July.
This will see Ikusasa Green double its output volumes for the Massmart Group, a retail giant with Game, Makro, Jumbo and Builders Warehouse among its subsidiaries.
According to Pakade, R10-million has been injected into the Dimbaza factory in partnership with the Eastern Cape economic development department, for the new cooler box line. — DDR
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