Food For Mzansi has brought hundreds of unsung heroes in the South African agricultural sector to the fore. We honour our farmers, agripreneurs and agri-workers, and this week you can do the same and win with our Mzansi Heroes competition.
Every day this week we will draw attention to one farmer or agripreneur on our Facebook page. All you have to do is read their stories and post a comment of encouragement using the hashtag #MzansiHero. You also need to share the post on Facebook, telling others what these farming role players do to help feed Mzansi.
The prize up for grabs is a three-pack of premium Hermanuspietersfontein wines, which includes one bottle each of white, rosé and red wines.
We believe that sharing success stories from our farms and agri-businesses that feed our nation has the power to unite South Africa and promote social cohesion. You can help by giving our featured #MzansiHeroes some positive feedback, and helping to spread their good news.
Meet the featured Mzansi Heroes:
- Whernit Dirks became an award-winning farmer despite having to leave school in grade 10. The father of two was a fourth-generation farm labourer who jumped at a farming opportunity when it was presented to him. Today he owns Genadeshoop Farming and farms with grain and cattle in the Western Cape.
- The 89-year-old, Nokamile Mazosiwe, is dedicated to her love for farming. On her small-scale farm in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, she grows an array of vegetables like potatoes and chillies. Throughout the 33 years that she’s been farming, gogo Mazosizwe’s favourite is the cultivation of tobacco plants. Although her farm brings in a small income, she was able to educate and feed her 10 children.
- A detour turned out to be a push in the right direction for egg farmer Mbalentle Sipingane. She wanted to become a fashion designer, instead she ended up studying agriculture by “accident”. Now Sipingane works at her family’s agri-business, Monzai Eggs. A few years have passed, and she says she cannot imagine her life without agriculture.
- Crowned as the 2019 Free State Young Farmer of the Year, Herman Janse van Rensburg says he was born to be a farmer. If he could choose any other career, he would still pick farming. The 39-year-old maize, sunflower and cattle farmer says, “There is a great future for every farmer in South Africa. The important thing, however, is to be positive.”
- Just over a decade ago, agripreneur Wadea Jappie started a farming business with her husband Achmat Brinkhuis, while raising six children. What started out as way of feeding their family now feeds other households in Mzansi. Awarded for her work in 2006 by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, their business Chamomile Farming Enterprises supply produce to chain supermarkets; Shoprite and Checkers.
Read their stories by following the links. A winner is chosen every day this week. See the competition’s terms and conditions for more information.
