Parly portfolio committee on an oversight visit to Limpopo

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development has been conducting an oversight visit to Limpopo to monitor progress at projects as well as small businesses funded by the department.

The committee visited various projects in Vhembe, including the Vuwa Agricultural Primary Cooperative maize farm in Muraga village near Thohoyandou.

They also visited a spaza shop that allegedly sold contaminated food to children in Khubvi last year. One of the children died after consuming snacks.

The visits are expected to be done in all districts in the province until Friday.

“What we want is to follow the money and that is what we are doing. We started yesterday in Mopane region and we managed to move to different projects and indeed, we have seen that what they are presenting to us in parliament is the truth well one of the projects is not pleasing. We could notice that the woman who has been assisted, when we checked her project is not what she was telling us,” Committee Chairperson, Masefako Dikgale explains.

Some business owners have raised challenges they encounter in their daily operations. Fhatuwani Nangammbi says water provision remains a major problem for his maize business.

“We have got a challenge concerning drawing water from the river to the fields. So, I am in need of a generator, which is about nine thousand watts, and if I get that I think the problem would be solved. The issue of roads is very big, as when it rains then I cannot access the river and now, it was destroyed by the rain and now, I try take alternative one which is difficult,” says Nangammbi.