Bongani Matomela, LMRF Director

From June 01, 2009 LMRF is moving towards becoming an independent entity. The European Union financial support to the LMRF implemented by a consortium led by the Netherlands based Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Ruicon cc, and Centre for Development Support of the University of Free State, came to an end on May 31, 2009.

Registration of the LMRF (to be named LED Monitoring and Research Facility) as a section 21 company, is in full swing and will be completed at the end of June 2009. Founding members of the new company have been drawn from the development and private sectors across KZN province and beyond.

LMRF continues to be involved and play a pioneering role as a centre of learning, knowledge generation and dissemination on LED matters in KZN and beyond, through its action research, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity-building activities.

LMRF has entered into partnership with the Netherlands based Royal Tropical institute to implement joint projects and write up case-studies in the areas of co-operatives, LED monitoring framework development, and role of local government in LED. Strategic and project specific partnerships have also been entered into with Heifer SA project to work towards development of a monitoring and learning framework for its projects, the Department of Economic Development to roll-out the emerging capacity building programme (ERCEP) for the period 2009/2010, and COMMARK Trust to write up a case study on Freshmark value-chain initiative in KZN.

The core team of the new organisation remains the LMRF Director, Research Manager, Learning and Communication Officer, with the support of the contract Project Associate. LMRF continues to work closely and draw in short and medium expertise from individuals, research institutions, and development organisations, to execute specific assignments..