Mpumalanga MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) Ms Khethiwe Moeketsi joined by the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) will officially hand over a state-of-the-art Chicken Layer project to its beneficiary in Kwaggafontein, under Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in the Nkangala District on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
The Eggsellent By Lebo Project houses 30-thousand egg laying chickens, which is already benefitting the entire Nkangala District and beyond with quality eggs. MEC Moeketsi will lead the official hand over to the beneficiary, marking the total completion of the project one of the Department's success stories that started from the ground up about four years ago.
36-year-old Ms Lebo Mashigo showed her passion for eggs at a young age, running a household backyard layer production and selling her eggs on the streets. She approached the Department for assistance to expand the scale of production and meet the demand of the market. It was only in 2022/23 financial year when the project was funded through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), with a scope of work that included an Environmental Impact Assessment, the construction of two environmentally friendly layer houses with a capacity of 15-thousand birds each, a storeroom and a packhouse, ablution facilities and a fence.
Eggsellent by Lebo Pty Ltd is a layer production project on land acquired from the Ndzundza Somphalali Traditional Council in Kwaggafontein E, under Thembisile Hani Local Municipality, through a Permission to Occupy (PTO). The Department's main objective with this project was to enhance the farmer's potential to creating job opportunities through the egg production value chain.
EGGSELENT BY LEBO LAYER PROJECT HANDOVER MEDIA INVITE
Eggsellent by Lebo is a member of Southern African Poultry Association, which presents an opportunity for the project to establish even more partnerships and access to bigger markets, including growth in the industry through exposure to suppliers and knowledge empowerment.
It is against this background that MEC Moeketsi and the NEF invite the media to the official hand over of the Eggselent By Lebo Layer Project scheduled as follows:
DATE: 18 August 2026
VENUE: Eggsellent by Lebo Layer Project Kwaggafontein Community Hall, Thembisile Hani Local Municipality
TIME: 09h00
ENDS..
Issued by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs