His Royal Highness Chief Montoeli Tyrone Lehana addressing the people on Woman's day

Batlokoa Traditional Council recognises Woman's day in South Africa

His Royal Highness Chief Montoeli Tyrone Lehana is seen on the photo above here addressing the people at Batlokoa Traditional Council, Hillgate, Tlokoeng on this day and that flags were flying at half mast to honour the day.

Woman's Day in South Africa is a public holiday that takes place on August 9th each year. It is a day to honor and celebrate the women of South Africa, paying tribute to their contribution to society and their fight for equality and women's rights.

The holiday has its roots in the historic Women's March that took place on August 9, 1956, when thousands of women from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the apartheid government's discriminatory pass laws.

The march was a powerful demonstration of women's unity and strength, and it played a significant role in the empowerment of women in South Africa. Woman's Day is now considered an important day to reflect on the progress made in gender equality and to continue advocating for women's rights.

Various events and activities are organized across the country, including seminars, discussions, workshops, and cultural performances, to commemorate this day. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight for gender equality and the need to address the challenges that women still face in South Africa.

More photos here

Moments of joy and celebrations on the 31^st May 2023, Chevy Chase Admin Area at Elundini Local Municipality, under a watchfull eye of our honourable Chief Montoeli Tyrone Lehana, Head of Batlokoa Traditional Council, Tlokoeng District, Eastern Cape Province.

This was an official handing over of a Multi-purpose shed at Chevy Chase Admin Area under a local Headman Mr. Tepete Churchill Lehana.  This is a local project in the area as led and guided by Mr James Ballantyne and Partners, Mrs Forbes from AliwalNorth, Messrs P.S.Futshane, Mr A.Dyantyi- Acting Chief Dierctor, DRDAR offices at Tlokoeng and in Bhisho, Mrs Meshan Moodley from Pretoria who represented AMRUT FOUNDATION/KYNOCH and Mr JP le Roux in absentia of All-4-Agri (Agri Forest Business) and our Hon Ward Councillor Mrs Mdleleni, all joining hands and working together to make sure that this project will be a success. 

The community of Chevy Chase Admin area in turn vowed to take the responsibility to work hard in order to sustain this investment and to sustain it.

This is one of the pilot projects that are being piloted at Chevy Chase Admin Area after which they will spread into all eleven admin areas where suitable. It is also plausible to mention that the plantations, Lehana and Fort Usher have been handed over to the community and hopefully the above mentioned teams will work hand in glove with the communities to see these plantations put into good use.

This hard word will feed the communities of Chevy Chase area and beyond for many years to come.

On the 25^th May 2023 the Department of Economic Development Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) held a Biodiversity Day Celebrations at Tlokoeng in Elundini Local Municipality.

This department has undoubtedly discovered that the indigenous habitant is under extreme tension and there is a general absence of grasping, obligation to ecological manageability and supportable living practices. In more unfortunate regions, there is a critical debasement of the neighborhood climate because of the verifiable tradition of politically-sanctioned racial segregation, neediness and tensions on accessible assets.

Environmental Empowerment Services (EES) in the Joe Gqabi Region is a Sub-directorate inside the Environmental Affairs Program, of DEDEAT. It fills in as a course through which networks, schools and other pertinent partners can be come together strengthening on Biodiversity Preservation, Ecological Quality Administration and Consistence and Implementation issues.

Section 24 of South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) as as amended, notes the human right to have the environment protected in ways that ensure conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. This principle is given effect by National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). The Constitution has significantly precast the structure and form of South Africa's environmental compliance, enforcement and administrative justice. This is largely a result of the manner in which it prescribes the legislative competence and executive authority of national, provincial and local spheres of government. National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 which is there to “To provide for the management and conservation of South Africa's biodiversity within the framework of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998; the protection of species and ecosystems that warrant national protection; the sustainable use of indigenous biological resources; the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from bioprospecting involving indigenous biological resources; the establishment and functions of a South African National Biodiversity Institute; and for matters connected therewith”

Main Objectives of the event were as follows:

The event was also embraced by ECPTA, SANPARKS, JGDM, ELM, World Wildlife Fund, Coonservation South Africa and NJR botanical gardens.  The main purpose is not just to honor the consensus but to educate and raise awareness to various stakeholders and communities across the region for proper management and sustainability of the natural resources for the benefit of present and future generation; it is conducted at regional level in order to rescue biodiversity richness for green economy which has been envisaged on the area concerned. This could be conducive for the conservancy of some ecosystems that are vulnerable to various threats and which may lead to their depletion. Also the identified area is under assessment for the establishment of Grassland National park within the municipality and promoting the biodiversity stewardship, these are community benefits that will benefit livelihoods for many generations to come and create job opportunities.

Political leadership of two spheres of Government are expected to deliver key note address on the day. Officials and communities will be engaged on build-up programs in preparation for the event. All stakeholders are expected to extend hand in helping each other for bettering our environment.

The following key objectives were noted:

1. To promotesamelevel of understanding in the implementation of Environmental Management
2. Tointegratethe technical and indigenous knowledge of the role players in the protection of natural resources and related ecosystems for the area concerned.
3. Tomobilizesupport for sustainable biodiversity management.
4. Intensificationofconservation awareness campaigns as required.
5. Tostrengthenthe regulating effort for protecting the vulnerable species and pristine ecosystems.

                                                                               Photos of the day, please click below here:

Agroforestry the sustainable way at Chevy Chase

February 23, 2022

The Chevy Chase leadership group, with James Ballantyne of Umsonti in the front row extreme right.

An agroforestry approach is providing a rural Eastern Cape community with a chance to develop and farm their land more productively, creating jobs, skills and opportunities along the way …

Chevy Chase is the unlikely name for a rural Eastern Cape community located between Mount Fletcher and Maclear (now Nqanqa Rhu). Like many rural communities in South Africa the people of Chevy Chase have access to ancestral land but very few job opportunities as they are far from markets and have little or no infrastructure. As a result the local economy is based on subsistence agriculture. However over-grazing has reduced the potential of the land to support livestock, while rampant alien plant invasion is further eroding agricultural potential and using up precious water resources.

In 2010 the Chevy Chase community got involved in a European Union funded rural development project known as ‘Thina Sinako’, which is when they started working with a dedicated group of rural development practitioners who went on to establish Umsonti Community Forestry NPC.

Through the help of Umsonti, the Chevy Chase community, under the Leadership of Chief Montoeli Lehana of the Batlokoa Traditional Council, approached the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) for funding from their LandCare Program for a forestry project.

The area identified for the forestry project was fenced to control livestock, and work commenced to clear the wattle jungle and plant grasses for grazing pending the completion of an EIA and the granting of a Water Use License for the establishment of the correct commercial tree species for the site.

The nitrogen left in the soil from the wattle and the successful exclusion of livestock meant the grass sown by the Landcare staff under the supervision of the DRDAR grew well and thanks to the summer rains, by winter the community was able to provide good grazing for their livestock.

In 2019, on the back of this initiative, the DRDAR approached Umsonti with an ambitious plan to start a conservation agriculture project with the community on adjacent agricultural lands which had been standing idle for over 10 years. A community Trust was formed with the six villages that make up Chevy Chase in 2020.

With agricultural equipment purchased by Government (initially a no till planter and a spray rig) and borrowed from local farmers, 100 ha of land was fenced off and 27 ha was successfully established to yellow maize by early December 2020. This yielded around 20 tons of maize (which was sold to the community, given to members in lieu of work, and 9.6 tons sold to BKB) and stubble for community cattle to graze at the end of winter / early spring when insufficient grass is available before the first rains. A cattle auction was also organized with the help of Umsonti and Meat Naturally in May 2020 which resulted in the sale of 282 head of cattle, bringing in R 2.27 million to the community. This also assisted with reducing the pressure on the veld from overstocking, meaning survival rates of the remaining animals increased.

Livestock auction at Chevy Chase.

Clearing wattle jungle
In the initial phase of removing the wattle jungle the cleared wattle is separated into usable poles, firewood and pulp logs for sale. The money generated from these activities is ploughed back into the project allowing clearing work to continue.

In 2012, with funds from Thina Sinako, a soil survey was conducted on the land earmarked by the community for the forestry project. Due to the amount of seed in the soil, the wattle has kept on coming back on the ‘cleared’ areas. Considering the high cost of spraying the small trees or cutting them out, the work teams adopted a different approach and it was decided to line out the wattle jungle already growing there using the ‘boere metode’ to give the trees space to grow and produce more poles, firewood and pulp in the years to come. This serves to generate some cash and get the wattle jungle under control, pending the granting of a Planting Permit for the establishment of a proper plantation. Wattle coming back in riparian and other sensitive areas are permanently removed and grass seed sown in these areas to allow for establishment of additional grazing areas of good grass for livestock, and the roots to bind the soil to reduce erosion.

The clearing of jungle wattle at Chevy Chase is self-funding through the sale of pulp, poles and fire wood.

Lined out wattle with inter-row sprayed with Triclon .. putting a wattle jungle to use at Chevy Chase, while awaiting a
planting permit to establish a proper plantation

“The sale of firewood and pulpwood is absolutely necessary, as the income from these activities has helped with diesel (Government doesn’t supply diesel) and equipment maintenance,” said James Ballantyne, one of the directors of Umsonti, who has been working closely with the community for a number of years. “If it wasn’t for the wattle clearing and the income from this, there would have been no maize production, as a lot of money is spent on diesel for ripping, lime spreading, ploughing, spraying and planting.”

The community is budgeted to be clearing roughly one hectare of wattle per week, translating into around 48 ha per year. There are three teams doing the initial wattle clearing. Each team comprises a chainsaw operator and three people stripping bark and stacking branches and bark in brushlines while utilizable timber (poles, pulp and firewood) is left in the middle of the ‘indimas’.

The pulp timber is kept separate from the large logs of firewood timber which get sold to the local community. Depending on distance from the project, the 1.5 ton loads of firewood are sold for between R500 and R1 200. The income (around R 10 000 per month) is used to purchase diesel for the tractors to transport staff from the community to the forestry project.

“The philosophy of paying for a product is being entrenched in the community,” said James. “The ‘everything for free’ (EFF) model does not work.”

Wattle pulpwood logs are sold to either NCT Durban Woodchips (when tickets are available) or PG Bison. The Chevy Chase LandCare project has the potential to generate between one to two truckloads (30 tons) of pulpwood per month.

Pulp wood extracted from a cleared wattle jungle is loaded by hand and sold to NCT Durban Woodchips.

The funds generated from pulpwood sales have been used to assist with purchasing diesel for the ripping, liming, ploughing, planting, fertilizing and spraying of maize, as Government pays for all the inputs (equipment, fencing, seed, lime, fertilizer and chemicals), but not for diesel or equipment maintenance. The people working on the maize are paid as part of the LandcCare project.

Environmental considerations
Roads have been planned using natural or existing routes such as cattle tracks and wattle extraction routes that have been used for decades by the community. Bridges across streams have been made from rocks or wooden poles so tractors and bakkies can cross safely and without causing any disturbance to the rivers.

“Ultimately, concrete pipes and culverts will be constructed, but with the shortage of funds, we have had to make a plan to minimise the impact on the environment,” said James.

The key to sustainable rural development at Chevy Chase is the agroforestry approach i.e. integrating agricultural activities with forestry, maintains James. This has allowed cash generated from pulpwood and firewood sales to be ploughed into clearing of alien invasive plants and crop production which has provided winter food for livestock – all of which has provided an opportunity to improve management of the land. In addition these activities have created a vehicle – in the form of a community trust - to mobilise community resources and efforts which has the potential to create further opportunities going forward.

“The formalisation of structures and the investment by Government provides an opportunity for sustainable development, which creates jobs and benefits for the community both formally and informally,” says James.

Trustees outside FNB Mount Fletcher where they opened a bank account for their farming business

UMSONTI
Developing rural communities through forestry and associated businesses
Tel: 074 154 4430 / 074 173 5583 James Ballantyne: 079 516 1261 Email: info@umsonti.org.za www.umsonti.org.za

Greetings to my friends and colleagues. Hontang. I extend my appreciation to our Honorable Dikgosi/Marena from LIMPOPO, GAUTENG, NORTH WEST, FREE STATE, KWAZULU-NATAL, ZIMBABWE, WESTERN CAPE, MPUMALANGA, KINGDOM OF LESOTHO, NORTHERN CAPE and EASTERN CAPE and their respective people and members of the REC for gracing our event on Batlokoa Pilgimage, Heritage, Renaissance and Reunion which took place yesterday on the 19 March 2022 at HILL GATE GREAT PLACE in TLOKOENG district. I further convey my sincere gratitude to DIKGOSI/MARENA/IINKOSI both in the area of jurisdiction of BATLOKOA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL and under BAKOENA, LOWER TSITSANA, UPPER TSITSANA,and AMAHLUBI TRADITIONAL COUNCILS and to our LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE members especially service providers i.e. CATERERS and SPONSORS for making this event a great success. It was a history in the making to celebrate this occasion. We are proud of you Batlokoa. I hope you have reached your respective destinations safely. I once again thank you so much for your attendance and support on behalf of the people of Tlokoeng and our Dikgosi/ Marena in the Eastern Cape.

Ha re yeng Batlokoa!

Joala Boholo Preparations by Morena Ntoa Sekonyela 2018

Nalane ya Batlokoa ka Ntate Nkherepe Tsoho, Mount Fletcher