Bungeni comes alive while the Festival of the First Fruit kicks off

The rural village of Bungeni's heritage site was alive with Tshivenda and Xitsonga traditional dances, such as tshigombela and xigubu, along with the drinking of marula beer on Friday, 8 March. This event was hosted and celebrated by the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), in conjunction with the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture, marking the 2024 Vhembe District Ku Luma Vukanyi /U thetshela mukumbi/ Tasting of the marula beer (The Festival of the First Fruit).

The marula season typically spans between January and March each year. During this time, the drinking of beer brings communities together, fostering social cohesion as people enjoy the beverage in a communal and celebratory manner.

The economic value of marula fruits has been extensively researched, and the marula industry is thriving nationwide. It serves as a significant source of job creation and income generation, particularly for rural, unemployed women who collect the fruits and start brewing beer.

Mr Thagalu Thovhakale, the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture’s Vhembe District director, highlighted that his department, in collaboration with Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), had purchased more than 1,500 litres of marula beer from rural women in the region. This beer was then freely distributed during the festival.

Renowned traditional healer Dr Mashudu Dima, who was invited to the event, conducted rituals before the consumption of the marula beer. He emphasised the importance of traditional leaders, such as Hosi Given Bungeni, chairperson of Vhembe House of Traditional Leaders, the executive mayor of VDM, Freda Nkondo, and member of the legislature, Philemon Mdaka, being the first to taste the marula beer as they are custodians of tradition and culture.

Dr Dima explained that marula beer undergoes several stages, including nashane, which is 5% sweet, lutanda, typically consumed by young and adult individuals, and tshamunandi, favoured by elderly and married individuals because of its rich ingredients.

Executive Mayor Freda Nkondo expressed the district's commitment to supporting heritage events such as the marula festival to uphold tradition. "Observing people along the roads of the Vhembe District with bottles of marula beer highlights the quick cash our rural population can generate through its sale. I urge our economic development and planning section to continue exploring the potential of establishing a fully operational marula factory in our municipality as we host and commemorate an annual festival with long-term economic benefits for our communities," Nkondo remarked.

Date:16 March 2024

By: Silas Nduvheni

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