A joint layer-hen project was launched today in Batlharos, the capital of the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware cultural community north of Kuruman in the Northern Cape. In addition to providing a starter package that includes Boschveld chicks, a chicken coop and accessories, training in poultry farming was provided to community members. AfriForum and the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware cultural community also signed a mutual recognition and cooperation agreement during the event.
This agricultural development project is being implemented by the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware Traditional Council in partnership with Saai and AfriForum. It is made possible through these two organisations’ agricultural development incubator, Resilient Regenerative Agricultural Initiative (RRAIN). It is an outcome of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders’ (NHTKL) second annual Lenaka Memorial Lecture, which was held in Batlharos in November 2025.
“This project will strengthen food security within our community by improving community members’ access to affordable, protein-rich food. It also creates the opportunity to acquire knowledge of the agricultural sector and has the potential to generate a sustainable income that can be used to the benefit of our community. It is a privilege for us to work with stakeholders who want to make a positive difference at grassroots level,” says Kgosi Pelonomi Toto, Kgosi of the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware and Chairperson of the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware Traditional Council.
“The annual Lenaka Lecture serves as a platform to celebrate our rich heritage while promoting inclusive socio-economic development within traditional communities. Our approach is to strengthen partnerships, improve institutional capacity and unlock opportunities for sustainable growth. It is encouraging that this initiative has once again led to the establishment of a project that has the potential to leave a lasting and positive legacy for this rural community,” says Kgosi Thabo Seatlholo, Chairperson of the NHTKL.
“It is a great privilege for AfriForum to be a partner of the Batlharo Ba Ga Motlhware and the NHTKL in this initiative. It serves as proof that a beautiful future for the children of our country is possible when cultural communities collaborate on the basis of mutual recognition and respect to enable communities to improve their lives, and to become more self-sufficient. We are thankful for KLK Landbou whose support helps make the project possible,” says Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum.
“Food security in rural areas remains a major challenge. The best way to address it, while at the same time creating wealth, is to empower people who have the will and the potential with the right support to eventually produce commercially. We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this project, which helps to empower rural community members to combat malnutrition and to make a living through agriculture,” says Dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of Saai.
“It is easy to be so paralysed by the big challenges facing the country that one ends up doing nothing. This humble project, however, shows that communities and leaders can choose to collaborate to improve the lives of communities at grassroots level. The positive impact of every small project adds up and ultimately improves our society as a whole. We hope that the continued cooperation between different cultural communities, of which this project is the latest example, will also inspire other stakeholders from the private and public sectors to become involved in sustainable community development,” said Barend Uys, Head of Intercultural relations and cooperation at AfriForum.
