Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa has urged the newly appointed Agribusiness Development Agency’s (ADA) board members to have the agency’s interests at heart.
Board members were recently appointed to ADA’s offices in Pietermaritzburg.
The ADA acts as project manager for Ntingwe Tea Estate situated in Nkandla and Makhathini Irrigation Scheme found in Jozini.
The KZN government created the ADA to support the development of emergent black commercial farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs.
Its objective is to redress the economic inequalities in the agricultural sector in the province.
The board members were appointed after an advertisement invited potential candidates to take over from the old board.
KaMadlopha-Mthethwa said the appointment comes at the right time as the previous board’s tenure ended on September 14.
“We would like to welcome the new board members with warm hands. We expect this board to contribute towards bringing change in the agricultural sector. There’s no doubt that we look forward to working with you on strategic planning and direction as well as we are providing oversight for the entity. We depend on you to steer the ship in the right direction. With a multitude of talents and skills possessed by the members of the board, I am confident that you will take the entity to new heights,” kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said.
The board’s term is three years.
The newly appointed board chairperson is Sibusiso Lucky Gumbi and will be deputised by Ntokozo Innocent Mafuleka.
Gumbi has heaped praise on kaMadlopha-Mthethwa for her role in ensuring the board was timeously instituted. He said of his new responsibility and role,
“I wish to thank the MEC. The Honourable MEC is a seasoned politician with almost four decades as a civil servant. She is a woman of vision, is meticulous and does not like mediocre services. Those traits will keep us on our toes as we guide the organisation in the right direction. With so much expertise and top talent at our disposal ranging from legalese to agricultural skills, we are surely not going to be spectators but be active in how the organisation should be going. We have a mixture of both old and young members who are vibrant, enthusiastic, and go-getters with their eyes on the ball,” Gumbi said about his new responsibility and role.
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