Reaping the rewards of a family legacy

Entrepreneurship

An inherited farming enterprise is growing from strength to strength in Dennilton, in Limpopo, after weathering several storms in its development.  

Nthakgwane Makuwa, (34), the director of Makuwa JJ Farming, told Vuk’uzenzele in a recent interview that his father, JJ Makuwa, had created the business with the objective of addressing food security and creating jobs.  

“We learned from our father the value of helping those in need and having a positive influence on others," he said. 

Following the passing of his father, Makuwa said the 40-hectare farm, which has been inhabited struggled to maintain profitability and creating jobs.  

The land was traditionally used to grow only wheat, barley, and white beans.

Thanks to Makuwa's vision, the farm has expanded its line of business to include green beans, cabbages, okra, tomatoes, and green papers. 

An electromechanical artisan by training, Makuwa said he assumed ownership of the farm to continue his father’s legacy.  

“This was only done to save the farm from collapsing under the weight of a defective irrigation system,” he said.  

At that point, he decided to register his company, Makuwa Latest (Pty) Ltd, as a private enterprise under his father's corporation.  To upskill himself,  he participated in a leadership program with the Agriculture Research Council, where he earned his certificate in plant production.  

The farm is divided into zones, with five hectares for growing cotton, 7.5 hectares for growing wheat, barley, and white beans, two hectares for hubbard squash, and one more hectare for spinach. 

To overcome the challenge of the defective irrigation system, in 2019 Makuwa received a R49 000 grant from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).

“I was able to replace the steel pipes with plastic ones. Running the farm was not easy, cabbages were dying, the barley perished, as did the butternut, spinach, and beetroot,” he recalled. 

Another primary obstacle he faced was maintaining the irrigation system to assist in irrigating other areas of the farm. At that point, the workers had to return home.

“Despite the challenges I came across, I was motivated by the ability to generate jobs for the community and the positive impact was the one thing that motivated me,” he said.  

The enterprise’s primary markets, he said, were school feeding schemes, Choppies Super Market, and the fresh vegetable markets in Tshwane and Witbank.

"The business supplies its barley to alcohol manufacturer, Heineken," he said. 

Makuwa JJ Farming has employed five permanent workers and plans to employ 12 casual workers in the harvest season. 

“My goals for the future includes bringing back the skills development programme and using our own seedlings that we plant."

Makuwa added that he would like to acquire the necessary equipment for the farm.

"I want to welcome all the contracts that my father used to service and enlist others to participate in farming,” he said.