Ndebele Kingship Council and NWU sign MOU

The Ndebele Kingship Council and the NWU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday, 18 July.
The partners identified an opportunity for cooperation and the MOU captures the joint interest and establishes a long-term relationship between the Ndebele Kingship Council and the university. The Ndebele Kingship is one of the seven recognised kingships in South Africa, led by His Excellency, King Makosoke Mabhena (Makosoke II), with the headquarters based in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga.
The council has appointed a team of professional service providers to develop and implement a sustainable development master plan for the Ndebele Kingdom. Africa Geo-environmental Engineering and Sciences (AGES), with a local branch in Potchefstroom, is one of the specialist service providers.
The main purpose of the programme is to help the council to holistically plan and implement projects that will lead to socio-economic development. This will contribute to the development of a strong, independent kingdom while aligning with all spheres of government.
The plan will entail addressing mineral opportunities, land assessment and audits, water and sanitation programmes, the provision of community services, agriculture, wildlife and tourism programmes and training and skills development across various spheres.
Via its Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office and eight faculties, the NWU can offer various multidisciplinary solutions and support. The hope is to integrate academic research with providing support for sustainable socio-economic development for the broader community of the Ndebele Kingdom and Council, under the leadership of H.E King Makosoke II.