shops 10.6

The first project to receive funding from the Labour Job Creation Trust was launched on Saturday 15 September. At the village of Nkomo, near Giyani in the Northern province, Willy Madisha, COSATU President and Chairperson of the Labour Job Creation Trust (LJCT), handed over a cheque for R250 000 to Chief Mahumani, as the first instalment of a loan of R750 000 to the Baleni Tourism Association.

This launch was the culmination of the initiative taken at the Presidential Job Summit in 1998, when workers were requested to make their contribution of a day’s wages to the LJCT. Those workers would have been overjoyed to hear the villagers from all around Nkomo praise COSATU, NACTU and FEDUSA for their generosity. As well as its President, COSATU was represented by its General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, and two busloads of members from Pietersburg.

Before the launch they were taken on a tour of the project. They saw the traditional village and the hot springs, where many took off their shoes and waded it to experience them directly.

Then they went to the Klein Letaba river bank to see the village women making salt from the spring waters, salt which is full of healthy minerals.

Before presenting the cheque, Willy Madisha spoke of the crisis of unemployment, where more than half the population are trapped in poverty because they cannot get a job. Workers, even those who do not earn a living wage contributed to the fund – "a selfless act to contribute to humanity’s survival".

He said the Baleni project fitted the LJCT criteria perfectly. It would benefit a poor rural community and benefit women especially. He assured the villagers that the fund would never give money to an individual with a computer who announces a programme but to real projects that will sustain themselves and go on to develop the community.

He commended the community’s enthusiasm for a project which will permanently change their lives but warned them to guard the project jealously. "If you don’t succeed you will be selling out the working class."

On behalf of the community, Chief Mahumani, assured the visitors that that every cent of the money would be well spent by the Baleni Tourism Association. The whole village turned out to support the event. Three choirs sang songs written especially for the occasion and traditional dancers gave a spirited display.

The project will benefit approximately 50 000 people of six villages. Their goal is to turn the area into a major tourist attraction. It will:

Generate 50 permanent and 80 temporary jobs in an area with high unemployment;
Provide a mechanism for skills development and training during implementation;
Encourage the preservation of the environment;
Create awareness of this cultural heritage site;
Stimulate the development of a natural arts and crafts manufacturing industry;
Support the economic development of the area by attracting tourists to the area.

The project site is near the existing Ivory trial, about 28 km South-East of Giyani. The initial phase of the Baleni Tourism Project has been funded through an investment of R400 000 by the Northern Province Tourism Board, which was used to establish infrastructure at the site. A basic bush camp has been constructed together with seven self-catering cultural huts, a kitchen and ablution facilities.

The next phase will see the following projects implemented:

Construction of eight serviced chalets;
An entertainment lapa;
A small conference chamber and a catering lounge on the bank of the river, approximately 2 km from the existing bush camp;
Six cultural and craft shelters at the new main camp;
The upgrading of the hotwater spring and mineral saltpan,
A 20 km 4x4 route and walkways.

Mandla Gantsho, Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Development Bank of South Africa, who are managing the LJCT said: "We are honoured to be part of an initiative that is aimed at improving the lives of our people. It is no coincidence that such a project is taking place now when our country need tourism growth than ever before. This project will be an addition to South Africa’s tourism way to prosperity."

The trust has raised R84, 3 million and had already approved 24 projects, to a value of R18, 6 million. The Shopsteward will keep you informed of other projects.