Publisher

Anna Kgaretswe is contributing to turning the fortunes of her community around.

A JoJo tank and vegetable tunnels filled with a variety of vegetables fill Kgaretswe’s yard, which she has converted into a vegetable farm for the benefit of both her family and community.

A young KwaZulu-Natal(KZN) woman is riding the success of her bean farming into the commercial agricultural space.

Ayanda Zulu (29) started growing beans – considered a staple food in South Africa – in 2016, on 14 hectares of land in Nongoma, north of KZN, that was made available to her by the local chief. She has been so successful that she has now been able to acquire a 500-hectare farm in Eshowe, just over two hours’ drive away.

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) has invested an estimated R12 million in refurbishing a training centre in Benoni, Ekurhuleni.

A young man who excelled in business studies in matric refused to let unemployment crush him – instead, he found a way to use his natural skills to give back to society while also earning a living.

While many women in poultry farming are struggling to access markets to supply their chickens, Lebohang Dhludhlu (32) has mastered network marketing for her business.

The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is on a mission to make agriculture fashionable.

The department recently hosted the Youth in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (YAFF) Awards that attracted about 200 young farmers from the region.

Ike Lekgoro (36) learnt to work with his hands from a young age and used that knowledge to become a shoemaker who is well known for the quality of his work.

Lekgoro founded Tlotlego Handcrafts, which makes men’s leather footwear, belts and wallets.

Women in male-dominated fields still experience unfair treatment and other forms of inequality, and this motivates Kganya Mogashoa (28) to fight for women’s rights through her art.

As a full-time fine artist, Johannesburg-born Mogashoa says she is passionate about addressing the lack of female representation in leadership positions and fighting the social ills that affect women. 

“The art scene is still predominantly male; a lot of female artists don’t get the recognition they deserve,” she says.

A mechanic from Umlazi Township in Durban has been successful in getting his workshop accredited to offer in-service training to artisan students from technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges to complete their studies.

Sanele Ndlovu (40), a qualified electrical engineer, was motivated to open his own workshop after experiencing difficulties in securing in-service training to complete his diploma at the Mangosuthu University of Technology. His workshop is called Saints Mechanic and Panelbeaters.