LIMPOPO – Vhembe Mayor, Dowelani Nenguda has called on rural unemployed women and men to economically empower themselves by collecting marula fruit and start making beer, which they can sell to the communities to put food on the table for their families.

“We have to commercialise marula beer in such a way that it can generate an income for families, especially during this marula season. You can smile all the way to the bank if you collect the fruit and start brewing the beer,” Nenguda remarked.

He was joined by senior traditional leaders of the Vhavenda people including Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli, Thovhele Nndweleni Mashamba and some traditional healers.

Dr Mashudu Dima spoke at the Tshifudi sports ground on March 28 during the 2023 Limpopo Marula Festival build-up event for the provincial festival which will be held in Phalaborwa from April 12-16.

He commented that the nuts from the marula fruit can also be sold as an additional revenue stream.

During this Vhembe district build-up event, the district invited marula beer brewers to demonstrate their skills in producing their product.

Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli told the gathering that they have to respect and conserve the marula tree, and discouraged those in the communities from simply chopping down trees for firewood.

“Previously, if one was found chopping off the marula fruit, he or she would have been summoned to the chief’s kraal and be charged. We plan on imposing fines on those chopping down marula trees.”

He said it was important that young people too learn how to brew marula beer, so that there is a next generation in waiting to create their own income.

In conducting certain rituals before the tasting of the marula beer, Dima said when the fruit starts to ripen in January each year, marula brewers are summoned to the chief’s kraal and the traditional leader will then be the first to taste it and allow brewers to sell to the people.