The forestry venture began in 2006. The Cata Communal Property Association has a forty-year licence from the Department for Water Affairs and Forestry for the establishment of a commercial timber plantation. It is a labour-intensive operation, providing employment opportunities for more than 40 local villagers, half of which are women. You will enjoy interacting with Ms Siziwe Katanga, the supervisor. Siziwe will tell you how important the forestry project is for Cata - as a long term investment and as a here-and-now development opportunity for the village. After 25 years, when the pine is harvested, phenomenal benefits will flow to the community, the owner of the venture. 
Situated right in the middle of the village, the co-operative farm is Cata’s flagship project. A very important source of low cost fresh vegetables for the villagers, the irrigation project is partly responsible for the fact that 99% of villagers now eat twice a day or more often, whereas five years ago this was not the case. Mpisekaya Pama is the supervisor of the irrigation project. He will be happy to show you around the 22 hectares now under cultivation.
Visit Nothemba Languva’s garden… Homestead gardening in Cata received a boost through training in 2004 by a Limpopo-based NGO called Water for Food. Villagers were taught how to run off water from roofs and storm water can be harvested and used for producing food. A form of trenching and waste-use is employed instead of fertilizers. This highly successful method is in use today.Latest News
Feel the heartbeat of an ordinary Xhosa village - opt for a homestay and live with one of the Cata families for the duration of your stay. Perhaps you might like to have your evening beer at the local tavern and meet your neighbours. read more
From the newly-built chalets you can enjoy the view of the mountains and the Cata Dam on the road to Keiskammahoek. You can opt for self-catering or have meals prepared for you in traditional Xhosa style. read more
Cata is a paradise for children… bicycling or horse-riding or learning a little of the local language. And, of course, they could meet the local children and together with them, look for cattle in the afternoon.
But Cata is not as ordinary as you might think first when you enter the village. During apartheid the village underwent a complete forced removal from the hills to the valley. This programme was ironically called “betterment“ and affected millions of people all over South Africa. This, and the successful fight for restitution, is documented in the Cata museum. read more
