{"id":63448,"date":"2025-04-11T09:53:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?p=63448"},"modified":"2025-04-11T09:56:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:56:59","slug":"ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In an effort to expand operations and improve the production of Ngcobo wool growers, Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality has put paid to its multi-year donation to local farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The municipality closed the month, March 31, of commemorating its namesake by donating 200 ewes to the Wool Growers Association. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/from-banking-to-farming-20250204-2\/\"><strong>farmers <\/strong><\/a>bring their 200, and 400 sheep are donated to the association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programme started in the 2022\/ 23 financial year with 1 200 sheep donated so far. Integrated Planning and Economic Development political head, Nobuntu Mgidi, said the programme aimed to provide the farmers with the resources they need to expand operations and improve production. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The wool growing industry plays a critical role in the local economy. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"63449\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/new_81447\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1044,1044\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"new_81447\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi.                                                  PHOTO: SUPPLIED&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi.                                                  PHOTO: SUPPLIED&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631-1024x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi.                                                  PHOTO: SUPPLIED\" class=\"wp-image-63449\" style=\"width:148px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi.                                                  PHOTO: SUPPLIED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporting these <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/grant-kick-starts-farming-business-20210824\/\"><strong>farmers <\/strong><\/a>with the resources they need is an investment in the community&#8217;s future,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mgidi said the initiative not only helps in improving agricultural practices but also improves the potential of local farmers, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly changing market. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mayor Siyabulela Zangqa said the 2022 to 2026 council, whose term ends next year, had adopted the programme for wool farmers. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We want to ensure that they produce quality wool that will give them great returns. After having had this programme for five years, we would like to have a processing facility in Ngcobo. This will ensure we create sustainable jobs for our people,&#8221; he said. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wool Growers Association chairperson, Xolile Jezile, said the association made millions of rands in the 2022\/ 23 and 2023\/ 2024 financial years. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;When we sold our wool in the market the first time we made R10.5 million and the second time we made R13.2 million. We have not received the results for this year (2024\/ 2025). But the results we have show the municipality&#8217;s programme is working,&#8221; Jezile said. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The association, Jezile said, was happy with its working relationship with the municipality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr AB Xuma Municipality donated 200 ewes to Ngcobo wool farmers, boosting a multi-year programme aimed at improving local wool production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":63449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"66","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"2025-04-10","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"67","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi.                                                  PHOTO: SUPPLIED","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"Zolile Menzelwa","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Ngcobo wool growers make millions","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["znFarmers_P1"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[67,1],"tags":[7874],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-63448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-news","tag-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support | Mthatha Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1044\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1044\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zolile Menzelwa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1\"},\"headline\":\"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":322,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Local News\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support | Mthatha Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg\",\"width\":1044,\"height\":1044,\"caption\":\"Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi. PHOTO: SUPPLIED\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Business\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/business\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MthathaExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\"],\"description\":\"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.\",\"email\":\"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27472932973\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/author\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support | Mthatha Express","description":"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support","og_description":"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/","og_site_name":"Mthatha Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","article_published_time":"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1044,"height":1044,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Zolile Menzelwa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mthatha Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/"},"author":{"name":"Mthatha Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1"},"headline":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support","datePublished":"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/"},"wordCount":322,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","keywords":["Local News"],"articleSection":["Business","News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/","name":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support | Mthatha Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-11T07:53:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-11T07:56:59+00:00","description":"Ngcobo wool farmers make millions as municipal ewe donation programme boosts production and supports local economic growth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","width":1044,"height":1044,"caption":"Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality Integrated Planning and Economic Development portfolio head, Nobuntu Mgidi. PHOTO: SUPPLIED"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ngcobo-wool-growers-rake-in-millions-through-municipal-support\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Business","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ngcobo wool growers rake in millions through municipal support"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","name":"Mthatha Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization","name":"Mthatha Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mthatha Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000"],"description":"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.","email":"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27472932973","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1","name":"Mthatha Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mthatha Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/author\/mthathaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/new_81447-e1744358210631.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295470,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/german-delegation-scouts-ec-seafood-producers-for-european-export-opportunities\/","url_meta":{"origin":63448,"position":0},"title":"German delegation scouts EC seafood producers for European export opportunities","author":"PE Express","date":"9 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A German delegation visited Eastern Cape seafood operations this week to assess local producers' readiness for European markets.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Business&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Silhouette of a fishing boat with nets on calm waters during golden hour, representing the Eastern Cape's coastal fishing operations that are being evaluated by the German delegation for European export opportunities.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thedigitalway-fishing-1572408_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thedigitalway-fishing-1572408_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thedigitalway-fishing-1572408_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thedigitalway-fishing-1572408_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/thedigitalway-fishing-1572408_1280.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":264317,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/ec-automotive-operators-receive-boost-from-r50-million-automotive-sector-blended-finance-scheme\/","url_meta":{"origin":63448,"position":1},"title":"EC automotive operators receive boost from R50 Million automotive sector blended finance scheme","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"27 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"HAVING overcome his fear of soaring human resource and rental costs, Vukile Sokoyi finally took the plunge in February 2018 and opened his automotive business, Soma Workshop in East London with just four employees. Now servicing an average 130 cars a year, Soma Workshop is a thriving operation which services\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Business&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/thumbnail_SOMA-WORKSHOPs-VUKILE-SOKOYI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/thumbnail_SOMA-WORKSHOPs-VUKILE-SOKOYI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/thumbnail_SOMA-WORKSHOPs-VUKILE-SOKOYI.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/thumbnail_SOMA-WORKSHOPs-VUKILE-SOKOYI.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Mthatha Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63448"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=63448"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=63448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}