Ngwana Kwena Secondary School learners tour local citrus farms

MARBLE HALL – In a move to expose young people to the agricultural sector, which plays a huge role in the economic growth of the country, Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality Council Speaker, Rebecca Lentsoane, together with the Piet Engelbrecht Trust took Grade 12 learners from Ngwana Kwena Secondary School in Manapyane Village on a tour to the Piet Engelbrecht Citrus Farm and the Kopano Citrus Farm in the Marble Hall area last Thursday.

The tour forms part of the municipality’s activities to commemorate the July Mandela Month. Ngwana Kwena Secondary was chosen following Speaker Lentsoane’s adoption of the school in January this year when she promised to provide support for the learners and educators.

The excited learners were taken on a walkabout of the citrus farms with the aim to expose them to the real farming situation.

Percy Moagi, EPMLM spokesperson, informed that the learners were able to learn about the entire value chain of citrus farming from planting, pruning, harvesting to packaging. “They also learned about opportunities that are there in agriculture,” said Moagi.

Lentsoane indicated that the partnership with local farms goes a long way and that the activity resonates well with what Nelson Mandela stood for. “Madiba loved education and he wanted to see every kid go to school and learn. I am happy that the learners were able to engage with the farm managers on a variety of issues related to farming,” expressed Lentsoane.

One of the learners, Bathabile Makondo, said she was inspired during the tour of the farms because she discovered a lot of things that she did not know about.

Bathabile expressed her gratitude to the municipality for giving them an opportunity to explore the agricultural space and broaden their career choices.