Creaming it from strawberries
15 April 2003
Strawberries, associated with decadence and love, have created jobs for a rural community who are supplying the fruit to a string of major chain stores in Mpumalanga.
The Selobela strawberry project in Carolina employs 32 full-time workers who earn R800 a month each, and another 28 part-time workers.
Project chairman Wander Shabangu said the project was started in 1999 to create job opportunities for young people, women and retrenched mineworkers in the province.
"Apart from earning an income, we've also grown closer to our loved ones because we give them the fruit to apologise after we've quarrelled," Shabangu said with a smile. "Now when we smell the fruit, it always reminds us of those close to our hearts."
He says fruit sales peak especially over Valentine's Day, when individual customers come directly to the project to buy 250g of strawberries for R5.
All the 32 full-time workers are shareholders in the project, which
was initiated by Shabangu after approaching the municipality to donate land, choosing strawberries because the fruit grows well in the area.
Now the workers plan to buy additional equipment and build offices with a R4.5-million grant from government's local economic development fund.
"Our aim is to expand to Gauteng, and to also produce jam and yogurt to supply to the shops," Shabangu said.
Provincial local government spokesman Simphiwe Kunene said since President Thabo Mbeki launched the local economic development fund in 1999, Mpumalanga had awarded R36-million to 39 projects in the region.
"This is the best project of them all, because the members know how to market themselves and pay their salaries from the profits generated," said Kunene.
Source: BuaNews
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