Alfred Moselakgomo

Alfred Moselakgomo

The police's women's network in Mpumalanga is fighting crime by establishing vegetable gardens.

The concept was explained to local people at the Tonga police station, in rural Nkomazi in the Malelane area, last week.

The poverty alleviation project, spearheaded by the health and social services department, is designed to help women support themselves and their families. Seeds and gardening tools will be provided by the department of agriculture.

Mpumalanga's police commissioner, Afrika Khumalo, said that poverty often leads to crime.

Khumalo said: "A person with an empty stomach might deal with his hunger by committing a crime. That is why the network came up with this initiative."

He said one of the objectives of the women's network was to align its activities with those of the government and improve the quality of women's lives - especially those who had been affected by crime.

One happy beneficiary of the project, Phelisile Sibiya, said: "I am on cloud nine.

"Now I will be able to plant and sell vegetables and use the money to buy food for my children."