Empowerment

A day in the life of rural veterinarian Dr Suenette Kotze reveals how South Africa’s food chain is supported by a small group of overworked professionals who balance animal welfare, farmer support, and personal sacrifice across vast farming landscapes.

For the past two decades, the Anna Foundation has been transforming the lives of rural children and their communities, growing from a single after-school centre into a network of programmes across the Western Cape.

In a time when youth entrepreneurship in South Africa continues to lag, small-scale farmer Siphindile Hlengwa, founder of Ndlovukazi Agricultural Multipurpose, has shown that structured business support can shift agricultural enterprises from simply surviving to becoming sustainable and even award-winning.

Beyond teaching agricultural skills to their own children, Zimbabwean farmers Vimbai Ruvengo and her husband, Mussolini Ganyo, have turned their property, Panganayi Farm on the Hwedza-Marondera boundary, into a haven for children eager to learn about farming.

Mkhululi Tjibenda and 49 other residents of Entumbane, a suburb of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, are engaged in urban farming on an approximately 1ha garden allocated to them by the local city council.

In food-insecure communities across South Africa, Shoprite and its partners are establishing food gardens that help people grow their own food and build long-term self-reliance.

Johan van der Nest is renowned in auction circles and was the first freelance stud-stock auctioneer to begin operating in South Africa. He spoke to Sabrina Dean about a career built on knowledge, experience, people skills and just a touch of showmanship.

In February 2024, the Hlokomela Junction Clinic in Letsitele, Limpopo, opened its doors to provide healthcare services to farmworkers in the area. Farmer’s Weekly visited the clinic to find out more.

This year marks the centenary of Pinotage. Beyers Truter, owner of Beyerskloof and chair of the Pinotage Association, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his journey with the variety and its rise to international recognition.

Feeding a growing population while protecting natural resources demands innovative thinking and strong voices to move science out of research papers and into public discourse. Lindi Botha spoke to scientist Enrike Maree about making science part of the conversation.

In December 2015, Dr Erna Blancquaert made history when she became the first woman of colour in Africa to obtain a PhD in viticulture. She is now a lecturer and researcher in grapevine and wine sciences at Stellenbosch University.

Zoleka Dikana was raised on an agricultural homestead, which resulted in her passion for farming. She now runs her Aruzabis farming business on 21ha of arable land near the Maya village in the Chris Hani Municipality District.

On the family-owned Alberta Songo’s Farm in Bengu Village, Lady Frere, in the Eastern Cape, Sive Songo runs Bonani Entities, a burgeoning agricultural enterprise in South Africa’s nascent hemp industry.

Phumza Sifingo runs Cingisita Piggery in Kidd’s Beach. Sifingo began her operation in 2019 with only 10 pigs, but with the help of the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA), her operation now includes a 50-sow unit.

Nomagcina Suduka started her farming business, Ingarise Poultry, in 2022. It is located in the Mangqukela Village in the Eastern Cape’s Great Kei Local Municipality.

Nobuzwe Mabona is a name quickly becoming synonymous with African printing designs. Based in Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape, Mabona owns and operates her own textile design printing company.

Simpiwe Somdyala, CEO of the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, speaks about the agency’s ambitious plans to significantly increase agricultural production in the province.

Patricia Beleng, owner of Buhlebenkosi Agri Productions, is a determined farmer who went from raising broilers in her backyard to running a poultry business supplying hundreds of chickens to the local market. Lindi Botha reports on the partnerships that brought her success.

Dr Ilse Trautmann, deputy director-general for Agricultural Research and Regulatory Services, has helped drive the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s success as one of the country’s best-performing departments. She spoke to Glenneis Kriel about her career, management philosophy, and lessons learnt.

As we celebrate Women’s Month, Octavia Avesca Spandiel spoke to Dr Hlamalani Ngwenya about her remarkable journey from a home economics teacher to a globally recognised leader in agricultural extension, and the broader agri-food systems. Through resilience, purpose, and a deep belief in people, Ngwenya continues to open doors for women in agriculture.