CREATING JOBS, FIGHTING HUNGER: NDA DEVELOPMENT FUNDING DELIVERS COMMUNITY IMPACT IN O.R. TAMBO DISTRICT.

By Lesego Ranchu

• The National Development Agency has invested R4.4 million in community development initiatives across O.R. Tambo District, creating 221 employment opportunities since 2022.
• A total of 182 civil society organisations have received capacity-building support, while 1,327 vulnerable children have benefited from nutritional interventions.
• Minister of Social Development Dina Pule commended NDA-funded cooperatives for creating jobs, developing skills and strengthening local economies.

Mthatha, Eastern Cape: The National Development Agency (NDA) is making strides in tackling poverty, unemployment and food insecurity in the O.R. Tambo District, with R4.4 million invested in community development initiatives that are creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
Through grant funding, capacity building and its Volunteer Programme, the Agency has supported initiatives in agriculture, skills development, gender-based violence prevention and community empowerment.

Since 2022, these interventions have contributed to the creation of 221 employment opportunities, including permanent, temporary and seasonal jobs. A further 182 civil society organisations have benefited from training in financial management, bookkeeping, governance, conflict management and resource mobilisation.

Within the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, NDA-supported initiatives include food security programmes, Early Childhood Development infrastructure, gender-based violence and femicide interventions, and volunteer programmes, with listed grant funding totalling R3.28 million.

The Agency is also addressing child malnutrition through partnerships with Hope Worldwide South Africa and other stakeholders. Since 2024, these interventions have reached 1,327 malnourished and vulnerable children, with 6,485 nutritional packs distributed across the district.
One beneficiary demonstrating the impact of development funding is Ilunge Primary Cooperative, a community-owned textile enterprise established in 2014.

The cooperative received R278,185.60 to purchase production equipment and introduce in-house dye-sublimation services, previously outsourced to Johannesburg. It also received financial management and bookkeeping training and has sustained 10 jobs, comprising seven permanent and three temporary positions.

“With the funding, we purchased equipment, a dye-sublimation, blind stitch and cutting machines. We used to outsource dye sublimation from outside of Mthatha as far as Johannesburg, which cost us a lot of money, but we also lost a lot of clients due to the timelines. I am happy to be employed and that we are also able to provide jobs for young people,” said Cooperative Project Manager Nqwenelwa Maliwa.

During an oversight visit, Minister of Social Development Dina Pule commended Ilunge for responding to market demands and creating employment opportunities.
“I am pleased that the drop in the ocean invested at Ilunge is yielding the fruits of labour, skills and employment. The need for a space to operate will be canvassed with the local authorities so that this place can begin to serve even beyond the borders of the Eastern Cape. We are pleased with their progress and look forward to further growth,” she said.

King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality Mayor, Councillor Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo, welcomed the investment.
“This is a demonstration of rural development in action. The investment made here starts to shape this area as an industrialisation zone, an opportunity and challenge we accept as the Municipality, as this will stimulate economic outcomes for the locality,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Zinceba Poultry, Piggery and Vegetable Cooperative (ZPPVC), contributes to local food production through pig farming and vegetable cultivation. The cooperative supplies pigs and pork to local abattoirs, butcheries and households, while producing spinach and cabbage for surrounding markets.
NDA Eastern Cape Provincial Manager Mrs Nokulunga Skeyi highlighted the importance of showcasing these initiatives through the Ministerial Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP).

“In the Ministerial Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP), the NDA has provided information on its services, supporting CSO formalisation and cooperative registration, facilitated community dialogues and created an opportunity for NDA-funded organisations to showcase their work and impact, Ilunge Sewing Cooperative and Zinceba Poultry, Piggery and Vegetable Cooperative (ZPPVC),” she said.

The NDA has committed to extending its support in Centuli Ward 31 through community profiling, cooperative registration, skills development and partnerships aimed at improving access to funding, equipment and markets.

“Our impact is best measured through the success stories of our beneficiaries, whose experiences demonstrate how NDA funding has empowered them to create jobs, generate income and build sustainable livelihoods,” Mrs Skeyi concluded.