Weels began his career nearly 30 years ago as a general worker. He has since built a career in the wine industry that has earned him recognition at provincial level and an opportunity to travel overseas for the first time.
As part of his prize, he will embark on an agricultural study tour to the Netherlands and Germany early next year, an opportunity he described as a personal highlight.
“I look forward to going and experiencing it for myself,” Weels said.
When he returns, he plans to share the experience with other agricultural workers and encourage them to pursue similar opportunities.
An inspiration to agricultural workers
Weels joined Graham Beck in 1998 and has entered the competition every year since 2016. He said he looked up to previous winners and wanted to reach the same level.
“I wanted to be where they are. My message to all agri workers is, we are all important. What you put in is what you get out.
“It’s not for me as a person. It’s for all the agri workers, so I can show them that if you put effort in, then you will receive the award,” he told Farmer’s Weekly.
Weels said that while he was proud of his achievement, he wanted his success to motivate agricultural workers in every industry to give more than 100% for the love of agriculture.
Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Dr Ivan Meyer said Weels’s journey showed what could be achieved when determination was matched with opportunity and skills development.
“Our agri workers are the backbone of a sector that creates jobs, strengthens rural economies, and powers economic growth,” Meyer said at the awards ceremony.
He said agricultural workers were behind every harvest, every exported product, and every meal reaching consumers’ tables.
“By investing in our agricultural workers, we are investing in a stronger, more competitive and more inclusive agriculture sector,” Meyer said.
The competition attracted 1 380 agricultural workers from 16 regions, with 167 workers across 11 categories advancing to the finals of the provincial competition.
Dr Mogale Sebopetsa, head of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, said partners Shoprite, the main sponsor of the competition, IAM Global Logistics, and Agrimark had collectively contributed R1,4 million to support this year’s competition.
“We see your work, your dignity, and appreciate your hard work. It helps to grow this economy from strength to strength. We honour those who work the land,” Sebopetsa said of agricultural workers.
FMD response earns special recognition
Meyer presented special awards to three individuals for their contributions to the Western Cape’s fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD): Chris Fourie, managing director of Dairy Management Consulting; Jannie Strydom, CEO of Agri Western Cape; and Louis Wessels, manager of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation in the Western Cape.
The minister noted that Fourie helped mobilise private-sector resources for the transport and distribution of FMD vaccines, enabling critical supplies to reach the province without unnecessary delays. Strydom and Wessels were recognised for strengthening cooperation between the provincial government and organised agriculture during the outbreak.
