Sicelo Dladla

Sicelo Dladla

There is no need to go hungry when you have land to farm, KwaZulu-Natal economic affairs MEC Zweli Mkhize said yesterday.

"Why do you starve when you have land at your disposal?" Mkhize asked residents of Vulindlela in Pietemaritzburg.

"Development is about you and your sweat," he said.

Vulindlela is an impoverished area where residents are faced with poverty, disease and crime.

He appealed to the community to cooperate so they could easily access government services and funding.

"We have arranged with hospitals and schools to buy food parcels from you instead of buying from stores and supermarkets," Mkhize said.

A resident, Lindelani Mkhize, said he was happy that at last the provincial government had managed to come to their doorstep.

Mkhize was accompanied by other provincial department heads while residents were registering for IDs and birth certificates so they can access grants.