Bridge over the Siyadla Bridge

Nkosi Israel Tembe turned the sod at the Siyadla Bridge ceremony held on 17 November last year.
Residents of KwaDapha and Mnqobela celebrated the long awaited construction of the bridge over the Siyadla River with a feast and a performance from the Ofezela drama group.
KwaDapha community members were unanimous in their support for the bridge as this would enable more tourists to visit their area.

iBhulohlo lokuwela iSiyadla

INkosi u Israel Tembe waphendula isoyi emcimbini owawuseSiyadla Bridge mhlaka 17 Novemba ngonyaka odlule.

Abahlali bakwa Dapha nabaseMnqobe bahalalisela inkontileka eyayilindelwe isikhathi eside yeBridge lomfula i Siyadla, ngendumiso nomdlalo weqembu lOfezela. Umphakathi wakwa Dapha ngo Elethu ukwamukela i Bridge njengoba lizokwenza izivakashi zikwazi ukuvakashela indawo yabo.

Mbazwana Cultural Festival

In December 2002 the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Cultural Programme organised a festival at Mbazwana for performers from the Mbila Tribal Authority and the area came alive to the sounds of umakweyana players, Maskandi guitarists and ingoma dancers.
Not only did the festival give the Mbila groups an opportunity to showcase their talents but it was also an opportunity for the Cultural Programme team to assess the musical talents in the area.
Performers will be selected from Mbila for participation in the cultural programme, which aims to build both performance skills as well as facilitate linkages to cultural tourism markets.

Umcimbi wamasiko owawuse Mbazwana

NgoDisemba 2002 i Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park Cultural Programme yahlela ukwenza umcimbi eMbazwana, wabadlali abasuka eMbila Tribal Authority (esifundeni sase Mbila),nendawo yatheleka kukulemisindo yabadlali bakamakhweyana, umdlali wesiginci sikamasikandi nabasini bengoma.

Umcimbi awunikanga nje abaseMbila ithuba lokukhombisa amakhono (talents) abo kodwa futhi kwakuyithuba leqembu le Cultural Programme (uhlelo lwamasiko) ukuba libone izinga lamakhono omculo kuleyandawo.

Abadlali bazokhethwa eMbila ukuba bazibandakanye ohlelweni lwamasiko, oluhlele ukwakha kokubili izifundo zokwenza lemidlalo kanye nokwenza lula ukuxhumana ezimaketheni zezokuvakasha zezinto zamasiko.

Ukuchaza kafushane uNkosikazi Gumede : usonkontileka we SMME ye Working for Wetlands Programme.

Izinhlelo Zezolimo

Ngesipho esilinganisiwe i Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park Authority maduze nje isungule idlanzana lezinhlelo zolimo namaqembu (groups) nabakhiqizi abahlala nabakhelene ne GSLWP. Loluhlelo lubhekele izinhlelo eKhula Village, eMnqobokazi, kwa Nibela nase Kosi Bay. Izindima zezolimo eziyihheke elilodwa (1 ha) zalungiselwa cishe abalimi abancane abazinzile ababambe iqhaza kuloluhlelo.

Ukuqhutshwa kwaloluhlelo lwezolimo kuqikekelwe ukuba kubaluleke ngobukhulu balo empilweni yasemakhaya ekwenzeningcono inhlalo nezinga eliphansi lomkhiqizo wobuchule (commercial production).

Ngokwaziwayo iningi labalimi endaweni abesifazane abanamathuba amancane okuthola inzuzo. Lokhu kungokubalulekile ezintweni ezindaweni lapho imizamo yokulima ingafaka isandla (bamba iqhaza) ekuzwelaneni neWetlands.

Kwezinye izindawo abalimi abazigcinile balima ngokolwazi lokuhlupha kwamahlathi, amaxhaphozi nezindawo ezisokeme lapho inhlabathi ivunde kakhulu nezindawo ezigcina kangcono amanzi kunezindawo eziyisihlabathi.

Ngenkathi lokhukwenza kwandisa umkhiqizo wokudla ngesikhashana, akufukuli ulwazi lokukhiqiza ngaphandle kokusebenzisa imvelo noma ukuphepha kokudla isikhathi eside. Ngaleyondlela isu elinzulu lohlelo ukwenzangcono izindlela zokulima ukuqinisekisa ukukhuphuka komkhiqizo nokhiqiza ngemvelo.

Partnerships weave
new crafts

Nineteen graduates with qualifications in design and art are participating in the pilot learnership: Product development in partnership with rural crafters.
This learnership is being implemented by the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority in partnership with CREATE SA.
The CREATE SA is the strategic project for government’s Skills Development Programme for the creative industries. It is housed in the Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sector Education and Training Authority (MAPPP SETA).

Learners on their first field trip to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority 23-26 April 2003.

Since the beginning of 2000 craft groups from around the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park have been participating in a craft programme aimed at facilitating crafters’ access to higher value markets.
One of the factors that has contributed to the success of the programme has been the contribution made by good product developers. While there are many good South African designers there are not many professionals who can make a contribution towards craft development in a truly rural context.
The learnership programme hopes to change this situation and begin to train young graduates with an interest in contributing towards craft as a rural development strategy.

Abayishumi nesishiyagalolunye (19) abaqeqeshelwe ukuhlobisa namakhono babambe iqhaza ukuhlola lokhukufunda : Ukuthuthuka komkhiqizo ekubambisaneni kwabenzi bomsebenzi wamakhono basemakhaya.

Lokhu kwenziwa kwalezifundo kwenziwe i Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park Authority ngokubambisana ne CREATE SA. I CREATE SA uhlelo lukahulumeni oluvunyelwe lokuthuthukiswa kwamakhono ( Government's Skills Development Programme) lokusungula izimboni. Inesikhungo eMedia, ukukhangisa, ukushisilela, ukubhala ngomshini nokuphatha ingxenye yemfundo nemvume yokuqeqesha ( Training Authority) (MAPPPSETA).

Kusukela ekuqaleni kuka 2000 amaqembu omsebenzi wezandla asuka ezindaweni ezakhele i Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park ebebamba iqhaza ezinhlelweni zomsebenzi wezandla ehlose ukwenza lula ukufinyelela kwabenzi bemisebenzi yezandla ezingeni eliphakeme lokudayisa.

Enye yalezimbangela ebenomthelela empumelelweni yohlelo ibe nokwelekelela okwenziwe abenzi bemikhiqizo emihle. Uma kunabaqophi abagculisayo baseNingizimu Afrika abekho abaqeqeshiwe abangabamba iqhaza entuthukweni yamakhono empumelelweni yeqiniso yasemakhaya.

Uhlelo lokufunda lwethembele ekushintsheni lesisimo bese luqala ukuqeqesha izifundiswa ezisencane ngokulangazelela ukubamba iqhaza kwezamakhono njengesu lokuthuthukisa izindawo zasemakhaya.

Agricultural projects

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority recently initiated small scale agricultural projects with producer groups living in and around the GSLWP.
This programme is piloting projects at Khula village, Mnqobokazi, Nibela and Kosi Bay. Agricultural plots of 1ha are being prepared with approximately thirty small scale farmers participating in each project.
The implementation of this agricultural programme is considered to be important because of its potential impact on rural livelihoods through improving subsistence and small scale commercial production.

Women

Significantly the majority of the farmers in the area are women who have few opportunities to earn an income. This is particularly important in environmentally sensitive areas where farming practices could contribute to the degradation of wetlands.
In some areas subsistence farmers are farming in ecologically sensitive swamp forest and wetland areas where soils are more fertile and have better water retention capacity than the sandy soils.
While this practice enhances food production capacity in the short term, it does not promote ecological sustainability or food security in the long term. Thus a further aim of the programme is to improve farming practices to ensure increased productivity and environmental sustainability.