When the sun sets on black communities, the loss of a breadwinner casts a shadow of real-life challenges. Meet Tebogo Ntseoane from Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga. Shaped by life’s trials, he blossomed into a responsible adult, shouldering the weight of his family’s financial well-being while unleashing the power of farming.
Ntseoane grew up in Kwaggafontein, where you can make your life into anything you want it to be, good or bad. As a curious kasi boy, he found himself surrounded by a group of street-smart youths and weed smokers, but he took responsibility for his life and made an effort towards discovering his passion.
Ntseoane lost his father when he was 11 years old, and his mother Celia worked as a cleaner in Midrand, Johannesburg. She would leave at 3am, returning in the evening. Tumelo, his brother, would take on an adult role at home, cooking and cleaning. Following that, Tebogo, at the age of 13, began doing housework after school while simultaneously doing his schoolwork.
He says his compassion for his community stems from his understanding of what it’s like to crave a role model, to have no one to save you, and to need assistance badly. That is why he is devoted to becoming the go-to guy on whom kids can count.
He began farming after attempting to acquire money in various ways, including running a car wash, selling insurance, establishing an NPO, and eventually starting his own home garden.
A journey through farming
After completing matric in 2013, he began gardening in his backyard with spinach and cabbage and his backyard garden functioned well.
“It started as sustenance, simply to have vegetables at home. Anyone who came to visit would go to the garden and collect some spinach or cabbage.”
He recognised that if his neighbours and relatives admired his fine work and his family no longer bought veggies, he could consider making it his full-time job.
“Growing up in an impoverished family, I’ve always wanted to change the situation at home, which is why I’m still hustling today.”
Overcoming challenges
Ntseoane sells his products to Kwaggafontein’s informal shops, street vendors, and community members.
Kwaggafontein is a water-scarce area with communal water taps that are only operational on Saturdays. According to Ntseoane, sacrificing a Saturday to save water in buckets signifies you’ll have a tough week.
“To farm here, you must have as many JoJo tanks as possible. You can’t rely on a municipality that only distributes water once a week.”
He also expresses a desire to be able to finance an irrigation system or a borehole pump system.
Objectives and progress made
If you are open to new opportunities, there is progress in farming, explains Ntseoane. His quest began to make sense when he was referred to the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) by a friend in 2019 to study plant production, Level 4.
It didn’t stop there; in 2022, he was recognised by the Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development in South Africa (YARDSA) and was appointed as the chairperson of the Nkangala District in Mpumalanga.
“For me, networking is the tool via which I can best help young farmers and effect positive change in our communities. Without proper networking, it will be difficult to channel through the industry,” he says.
On one hectare of municipal land, Ntseoane now grows onions and cabbage. However, he still also operates in his backyard growing vegetables. He is hoping to be able to get financial assistance with the fencing, irrigation system, and soil tests.
“I found a vacant municipality and negotiated how I would pay for it while looking for funds to purchase it.”
This driven farmer envisions expanding his land, creating more jobs, and diving deeper into the world of farming, from animal production to layers, piggery, and goat farming.
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