AGRICULTURE, Rural Development and Land Reform deputy minister, Zoleka Capa, has told delegates at the two-day Co-Operative Summit, hosted by the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality, to place co-ops at the centre of rural and local economic development. Capa was addressing the summit held at Mthatha Stadium, on April 19 and 20, on the role of co-ops in rural development. She further stressed the need for co-operatives to exploit natural resources that the KSD municipality is endowed with, such as forests and land for agricultural purposes, for rural development purposes. Nelani added that only five percent of what KSD municipality citizens were consuming is produced within the municipality and they wanted co-operatives to be at the centre of changing the trajectory. He also mentioned the KSD municipality’s intentions to develop into a metropolitan municipality to create employment and economic prospects.

Source: News 24 April 27, 2023 18:55 UTC