Area Military Health Unit Eastern Cape has embarked on a two-week community outreach programme aimed at improving the health and well-being of residents in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Project Owethu Eastern Cape 2026 was officially launched on 20 July in Tsholomnqa, East London. During the opening ceremony, the Officer Commanding of Area Military Health Unit Eastern Cape, Colonel Luzuko Matolweni, handed over a donation of blankets to the Principal of Tsholomnqa High School on behalf of the Officer Commanding of Naval Station Port Elizabeth, Lieutenant Commander Maliviwe Ndwandwa. The blankets were donated to support learners in need and demonstrate the Department’s commitment to community upliftment and social responsibility.
Through this initiative, Area Military Health Unit Eastern Cape will provide a range of essential services, including comprehensive primary healthcare, dental care, psychosocial support, school outreach programmes and youth empowerment initiatives aimed at improving the overall quality of life of community members within the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. The outreach programme is being implemented in partnership with other government departments and Non-Governmental Organisations, such as Gift of the Givers.
The first week of the initiative will run from 20 to 24 July 2026, with services being provided in Tsholomnqa Ward 32 and Tshabo 2, Ward 40. The second week of services will take place from 27 to 30 July 2026 in Dubu Ward 40 and Madakeni Ward 36 in Dimbaza. The programme will conclude with a closing ceremony on 31 July 2026.
Project Owethu (“ours” or “our own” in isiXhosa, signifying a sense of belonging) aims to reach the most marginalised communities in South Africa, often excluded from services the rest of the country takes for granted.
The project has been rolled out to various locations across the country, including in Limpopo earlier this year as part of Armed Forces Day commemorations. During this period, the South African Military Health Service provided health services to rural communities in Sekhukhune, Waterberg and Vhembe Districts. These services covered medical care, mental health, ophthalmology, oral health and orthopaedic care. The South African Military Health Services provided healthcare and health-related educational services to 50 000 people in these areas in the month leading up to Armed Forces Day on 21 February.
Written by Lieutenant Masego Shebe, Corporate Communication, Area Military Health Unit Eastern Cape, with input from DefenceWeb.
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