Nontobeko Gcwabaza, hailing from Savannah Park in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, has always found joy in working with her hands. However, her job at a coffee shop left her feeling unfulfilled, prompting her to turn to something she was truly passionate about – growing food.
This led to establishing her business, Ezamathusi Holdings, where she cultivates crops, raises chickens, and provides farming education to young people.
Farming has been a part of Gcwabaza’s life for as long as she can remember, with her grandfather farming over 100 hectares of land. Despite this, she never imagined it would evolve into a business venture, especially as a black woman in South Africa.
Her love for farming began early, as she recalls planting stolen dry beans as a child, creating playful farming scenes.
“I would plant crops even while I was still working full-time,” she shares.
A pivotal moment came when Gcwabaza met her mentor, Nolundi Mpulo, who encouraged her to attend farming events and connect with other farmers.
In 2019, she joined Isakabuli, a women’s farming initiative that focused on planting castor oil trees, known locally as umhlakuva.
“We were planting the castor oil tree, known as umhlakuva,” she explains. “We also worked with the University of Witwatersrand, who helped us with research.”
The versatile umhlakuva can be used to produce motor oil, perfumes, body lotions for dry skin, and other cosmetics. That same year, she and her team launched a cannabis-infused energy drink in Richards Bay. Through the initiative, they also gained experience in livestock farming by collaborating with a farmer in Msinga, but sadly, the pandemic brought the project to an end.
Turning passion into farming success
However, this entrepreneur was far from done. In 2020 Gcwabaza started Ezamathusi Holdings in her backyard, which has since grown to include a 10-hectare leased farm in Cato Ridge, Durban. She grows several crops, including tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, butternut, sweet potatoes, chillies, and bell peppers.
“We also raise broiler chickens, starting from day-old chicks until they are six weeks old and ready for sale,” she says.
“Our broilers are fed a high-protein diet, from starter feed to finisher, followed by post-grower feed.”
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Gcwabaza initially funded her business through savings from her coffee shop job and supplemented her income by baking and selling cakes.
Although her business has received support from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (Pesi), she still faces challenges securing additional funding for agro-processing and farming equipment. She is proud to work alongside her business partner, Forget Rambanapasi, whom she describes as her right-hand man.
Growing future leaders
Ezamathusi Holdings supplies produce to several informal markets in the surrounding communities of Savanna Park, Klaarwater, St. Wendolins, Island, Clover, Queensburgh, Village Welbedacht, New Germany, Westville, Luganda, Demat, Mayville, Marianhill Police Station, Northdene, UKZN Edgewood Campus, and Durban University of Technology (DUT).
“I also host free farming classes for children aged 6 to 12. I want to reach even more communities but transportation challenges make it difficult.”
Currently, she is expanding her outreach to neighbouring areas, including Hammarsdale, Kloof, and Cliffdale. Despite her business’s growth, Gcwabaza acknowledges that climate change poses challenges, often resulting in financial losses.
“It’s frustrating to lose money when you have people working for you. Regardless of whether you’re making a profit, they still need to be paid,” she explains.
While she finds it rewarding to earn from her work, Gcwabaza stresses the importance of saving for unforeseen challenges. Looking ahead, she plans to introduce programmes for high school students, teaching them that farming can be a viable career path and a means of stable employment.
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