BY NONCEDO SHABANGU
MACETJENI – The people of Macetjeni under Gilgal Inkhundla have received their new community hall, which was officially opened for use today on the 22nd of August2025. While residents can now begin using the facility, the final handover will only take place in six months’ time.
Constructed through the Microprojects Programme at a cost of E3 million, the hall was designed to serve everyone in the community, from the young to the elderly. It is expected to provide a reliable venue for meetings, weddings, and other important events, sparing residents from the discomforts of holding gatherings under trees.
Indvuna Yenkhundla for Gilgal, Sipho Mamba, expressed his gratitude to Microprojects, recalling how the community had struggled to meet during bad weather. “We are now relieved that we will be able to host events in our beautiful community hall,” he said, adding that the project marks a turning point in how residents can gather and deliberate on local issues.
Echoing these sentiments, the Member of Parliament for Macetjeni also thanked the government of His Majesty King Mswati III and Microprojects for their contribution. He emphasised that the facility not only provides shelter but also restores dignity to the community, which had endured years of gathering in the open.
The joy was equally felt by the chairperson of the hall committee, who noted that the project would transform how residents host functions. She said the hall would finally give the people of Macetjeni their own space for weddings, community meetings, and other significant events.
Representing the Microprojects Programme, Ndumiso Dlamini explained that Friday’s ceremony was meant to allow residents to start benefiting from the structure ahead of the final handover. He reiterated that the government’s investment of E3 million into the project reflects a strong commitment to improving rural infrastructure and community life.
With the new hall now in use, Macetjeni residents look forward to a future where community gatherings are no longer at the mercy of the weather but instead take place in a dignified and permanent setting.
