MINISTER TOLASHE COMMENDS NDA FUNDED DIRANG BATSWANA GREENERY PROJECT DURING BOJANALA MINISTERIAL OUTREACH

By Precious Mupenzi

• Minister Tolashe praised the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project as a model for restoring dignity, creating jobs and strengthening local economies.
• The National Development Agency (NDA) funded project has created over 30 job opportunities for young people and provides accredited agricultural training aligned with national priorities.
• Supporting more than 150 backyard gardens, the project is shifting households from dependency on food parcels towards sustainable food security.“Our focus must be on empowering families to feed themselves,” Minister Tolashe emphasised.

Minister of Social Development, Ms Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, has praised the National Development Agency-funded Dirang Batswana Greenery Project as a compelling example of how community-led initiatives can restore dignity, create employment and stimulate local economic development.
The Minister made the remarks on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, during an oversight visit to the project in Koster, within the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality, as part of the Ministerial Outreach Programme currently underway in the Bojanala District Municipality.
The Ministerial Outreach Programme forms part of the Department of Social Development’s ongoing commitment to taking services closer to communities, strengthening oversight, and responding directly to service delivery challenges affecting vulnerable households.
As part of the outreach, Minister Tolashe is conducting oversight visits to key service delivery points across the social development portfolio, engaging communities through direct dialogue, and facilitating access to integrated services through the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP).
Led by local youth, the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project focuses on crop production and small stock farming, positioning agriculture as a sustainable pathway to livelihoods in a community grappling with high levels of unemployment, poverty and food insecurity.
Addressing stakeholders during the visit, Minister Tolashe emphasised that poverty extends beyond the lack of income and includes limited access to opportunities, skills and resources that enable people to improve their quality of life.
“This project is more than an agricultural initiative. It represents a commitment to restoring dignity, creating much-needed job opportunities and ensuring that no one is left behind,” the Minister said.

Creating opportunities for young people

The Minister welcomed the project’s tangible impact, noting that the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project has created more than 30 job opportunities for local youth and provided accredited training in crop production and small stock farming.
“These achievements are commendable by any standard. They speak directly to government priorities of job creation, food security and easing the pressure of the rising cost of living,” Minister Tolashe said.
She further commended the National Development Agency and its development partners for investing in an initiative that unlocks local potential and contributes meaningfully to economic activity within the municipality.

Advancing food security at household level

Minister Tolashe also highlighted the project’s contribution to strengthening household food security. The Dirang Batswana Greenery Project currently supports more than 150 family backyard gardens in Koster and surrounding areas, enabling households to grow their own food and reduce reliance on food parcels.
“There is no dignity in dependency. While food parcels remain essential in times of distress, they are not a long-term solution. Our focus must be on empowering families to feed themselves,” she said.
The Minister encouraged communities to embrace a culture of food production, calling for backyard gardening to be viewed as a source of pride, resilience and income generation.

Accessing formal markets

The Minister welcomed the project’s ability to supply fresh produce to a local retail store, describing it as a significant milestone for a community-based agricultural initiative.
“This demonstrates that with the right support, community projects can move beyond subsistence and become active participants in the formal economy,” she said.

Strengthening partnerships and sustainability

Minister Tolashe challenged the NDA and its partners to replicate and scale similar initiatives across all four districts of the North-West Province, particularly to address youth unemployment and rising levels of child malnutrition.
She also committed to returning to the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project to monitor progress and to strengthen collaboration with additional stakeholders, including government departments, local municipalities, the private sector and development partners, to ensure the sustainability and growth of the initiative.
“This is not the end of our engagement. We will return, we will deepen partnerships, and we will work together to ensure that this project continues to grow and benefit more families and young people,” the Minister said.
The Minister further encouraged the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality to adopt the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project as a flagship local economic development initiative, emphasising that strong local government ownership is critical to long-term success.
“Our success as government will not be measured by the number of projects launched, but by lives transformed, families uplifted and communities strengthened,” Minister Tolashe concluded.