By REGINALD KANYANE

Taung Dam is one of tourist attraction destinations in Taung. Carousers flock to the area annually for New Year celebration. Nkonyana Foundation administrator, Sindiswa Nkonyana normally sells food during the outing to raise funds to help underprivileged students.

“We always come to Taung Dam on the New Year to come and sell food in quest of raising funds. We raise funds to assist students who come from deprived backgrounds to further their studies at university. Taung Dam is a great destination as many people across the regions come here.

“What is imperative is that when you sell here, you do not have to pay for the stall in order to run your business. We receive much support and we see that our people understand the point of supporting Small Micro Medium Enterprises (SMMEs). We established the foundation under the concept of what we went through as students,” Nkonyana said.

Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) in infrastructure, Crespo Menyatso shared the same sentiments. Menyatso said there are strategic measures to formalise Taung Dam.

“The discussions are already underway with relevant stakeholders like Culture, Art and Traditional Affairs (CATA) and Tourism departments to revamp the area. The area attracts many revellers across all four regions of the province. Our discussions revolve around having an outlined and integrated interactive system for Taung Dam.

“All stakeholders play a critical role in the identification, conservation, protection and promotion of the area as one of South Africa’s heritage sites. We need to bring more resources at Taung Dam for present and future generations. This will also create job opportunities especially for the youth,” Menyatso said.

He added that the revamping of Taung Dam will also contribute to economy growth of Taung and Dr Ruth Mompati district at large.

“The upliftment of the area will also bring social cohesion and community development. We have no tour guide operators currently at the area to assist those who do not know about Taung. However, all is not lost as we believe that we will reach a solid agreement after our discussions. 

“Taung at large is rich when coming to tourist attraction destinations. We also believe that areas like Taung Dam, Dinkgwaneng and Taung Skull World Heritage Site will put Taung on the global map soon. We also urge our people to ensure that they contribute positively in protecting and securing those areas,” Menyatso said.

One of revellers, Kedibone Mosadi said: “Taung Dam is one of the most chilled areas around the region. However, I wish our province can ensure that there is security and safety in the area. Many people get killed while swimming and there are no life savers monitoring the situation.” 

MEC for Tourism, Desbo Mohono said product owners should take advantage of those golden opportunities.

“Our product owners must ensure that they take advantage of those initiatives. They also need to ensure that their treatment is amazing to revellers. Their attitude and behaviour towards visitors will influence them to come back for more.”

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