The Minister, who was accompanied by the MEC of Social Development in the North West, Ms Boitumelo Moiloa and the Acting CEO of the National Development Agency (NDA), Mr Bongani Magongo, further emphasized the necessity to have strong Cooperatives as a tool for creating sustainable livelihoods to respond to the scourge of unemployment in the North West.  

The Minister’s visit was to assess the work done by the department of Social Development and it’s agencies, NDA and SASSA as part of the District Development Model (DDM) in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.

‘’We need to have discussions with all stakeholders about how we can open up opportunities for our Cooperatives in their local Communities. Bogela Bontle should be supplying more local schools, local malls and we as government, should also make sure that government departments support these Cooperatives by purchasing what they produce. We need to create local demand and support local products. The quality of work I have seen here today can compete in any market across the world,’’ said Minister Zulu.

Bogela Bontle Beadwork, is a cooperative founded in 2016 by five unemployed women with the aim of creating economic empowerment opportunities for rural women in and around Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality. The NDA provided funding to the project to purchase embroidery machines and materials. This enabled the Cooperative to supply uniforms to matriculants in the local schools. In addition, the NDA provided capacity building in governance, financial management and Cooperatives Act.   The Cooperative created 15 job opportunities (7 permanent and 9 seasonal) for its members and other Community members.     

‘’We thank the NDA for assisting us to get materials and embroidary machines. Through this, we have received a lot of business from schools around Mahikeng and local churches. We want to get more funding to grow and be able to empower more young people from our Community. Many young people are unemployed in Mahikeng and need opportunities.’’ Gideon Dlamini, a youth member of the Bogela Bontle Beadwork Cooperative.

The NDA has capacitated over one hundered and thirty two (132) NPOs and cooperatives in the Ngaka Modiri  Molema District Municipality and is committed to working with Cooperatives such as Bogela Bontle to make sure that women and youth use them as a tool to create employment and fight poverty. As a government agency tasked with the responsibility of poverty eradication in South Africa, the NDA has committed to working with government departments, agencies and the private sector to ensure cooperatives across the North West get capacitated and funded.  

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Media inquiries may be forwarded to Mr Lonwabo Ganelo 073 295 0547 lonwabog@nda.org.za

ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY