New bakery to help struggling Mams veterans get back on their feet
The bakery is aimed at benefitting struggle stalwarts who were unable to put food on the table for their families.
While local military veterans struggle to find gainful employment in Mamelodi, a government-sponsored community bakery hopes to change this for at least five of them.
Opened by Deputy Minister of Military Veterans Richard Hlophe, commonly known as Richard Mkgungo, the community bakery was officially launched on Thursday.
One of the members of Jelani Cooperative, military veteran Eric Mahlangu, said the bakery is solely operated by military veterans and its purpose is to improve their lives, as the majority of them are destitute.
Mahlangu said most veterans could not find jobs after liberation and the community bakery will help them feed their families as well as taking care of themselves .
“The cooperative was registered in 2024, but we have been struggling with funds to start any sort of business ever since, but we managed to meet up with the South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA), who helped us get the financial support to start the bakery,” said Mahlangu.
He said the veterans are the ones who will be running the bakery’s day-to-day affairs.
The bakery will be supplying local businesspeople with fresh bread, mostly those who are selling sphatlo.
Mahlangu also encouraged fellow indigent and unemployed struggle veterans countrywide not to lose hope because organisations like SANMVA will be rolling out similar initiatives throughout the country for the benefit of all the veterans.
The deputy minister said the bakery was aimed at benefitting struggle stalwarts so they can put food on the table for their families.
“The veterans had already started training that will equip them with proper skills to run this entity independently,” said Hlope.
“The bakery is intended to alleviate the rate of unemployment among veterans because it is only unemployed veterans who will be working at the bakery,” he said.
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