Lebogang Mashigo (30) of Mandlethu village in Mpumalanga is a resilient farmer who has seen it all. 
In the past 10 years she tried out a number of businesses before successfully running her current egg producing, packaging and distributing business.
She is the owner of Eggselent, a business she started in 2019 with just R350. Initially, she bought 12 trays of eggs from a popular farm in Middleburg and sold them to customers.
Today her business sells freshly laid eggs.
Her fortune changed when she received an order for bulk orders and she invested in layer cages. “A friend of mine sponsored me R2 000 and I bought 20 laying chickens,” Mashigo says.
Since then, she has not looked back. Last year, she built a bigger chicken house to accommodate at least 600 layers.
Eggselent supplies businesses such as bakeries, bed and breakfast establishments and ordinary households. Customers can also buy eggs online.
“At the moment we deliver between Siyabuswa, Kwaggafontein and KwaMhlanga areas in Mpumalanga using the e-commerce platform,” she says.
In 2020, Mashigo received a grant worth R50 000 from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). She used the money to buy 300 layers. The NYDA also provided her with a business mentoring opportunity.
She also received a R20 000 grant from Thembisile Hani Local Municipality and COVID-19 relief funding from DJ Sbu worth R20 000 that went towards its business development programme.
Mashigo has so far created jobs for two people in her area.
“I owe my success to a number of failed business ventures I previously tried out. I have also tried network marketing, informal businesses and tried to run a non-profit organisation. All that experience makes me the entrepreneur I am today,” she says.
Her business plays a role in fighting poverty. “We are securing food in the community because residents can access fresh eggs at an affordable price,” she says.
For more information on NYDA funding, contact the NYDA at 087 158 6345 / 5738 or email: info@nyda.gov.za
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