Some friendships start in school, when kids get comfortable in each other’s company, or later in life when they realise they are heading in the same direction. For Sibusiso Zwane and his business partners, that friendship has grown into Isondlo Holdings, a farming business based in Mountain View, KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga.
The partners raise broiler chickens and grow vegetables in Zone 2, with plans to grow the business and build a sustainable commercial farming operation.
The idea behind Isondlo Holdings came from people who already knew each other and saw an opportunity to build something together through farming.
Zwane says, “I shared the vision with the other four members, and they believed in the idea and supported it.”
His business partners are Dumisani Mahlangu, Senzo Malinga, Sydwell Shabangu and Thabo Mthombeni.
Shared belief inspires farming business
“What brought us together was a shared belief that agriculture could become more than just a source of income.”
The farming partnership goes back to 2022, when Zwane and Mahlangu started farming together, initially focusing on poultry and vegetable production.
In 2024, the business faced serious challenges, including high poultry mortality and a lack of effective ways to grow the operation. The setbacks forced the founders to examine what went wrong and what they needed to do differently.
While searching for support and additional manpower, Zwane and Mahlangu met Shabangu, who later introduced them to Malinga and Mthombeni. The five eventually came together in 2025 and formally established Isondlo Holdings.
Mahlangu has a diploma in agricultural crop production and manages production. Mthombeni has a diploma in engineering (project management) and helps with documentation and administration. Zwane has practical experience in poultry and vegetable production and focuses on sales and marketing, while Shabangu and Malinga deal with the day-to-day running of the business.
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Rising from failure: Building Isondlo Holdings
The restart was not easy, as the group had little to work with. Zwane and Mahlangu already had drinkers and feeders, while Mahlangu also provided space at his home for them to operate from.
The founders raised R27 000 in start-up capital through individual contributions, and started Isondlo Holdings with 200 broiler chicks. They have since maintained a production capacity of about 200 to 250 broilers per cycle, ploughing profits back into the business.
The earlier poultry operation also taught them to pay closer attention to biosecurity and other technical issues to prevent similar problems.
Diversifying production: From chicks to crops and eggs
The partners have also continued with vegetable farming, and currently plant on a quarter hectare of land, growing spinach, tomatoes and green peppers. They practise crop rotation and plant more than 2 500 plants in a season, depending on the crop.
Their vegetable market is street vendors, local restaurants and households. Through reinvesting money from the business, the partners later bought 190 layer chickens and the cages needed to keep them, allowing them to add egg production.
According to Zwane, raising the broilers starts from the day the chicks arrive. The business takes in about 200-day-old chicks and keeps them warm during the first week, while providing clean water and chick starter feed.
He says the partners keep a close eye on the chicks, checking that they are feeding well and watching for weak or sick birds. They also make sure the litter stays clean and dry.
As the chickens grow, Zwane explains that they gradually reduce the heat and continue checking their weight and growth. They keep the chicken house well ventilated without exposing the birds to cold draughts.
Feed and water space increase as the chickens grow, while feed is changed as they move into the grower and finishing stages.
In the final weeks, the partners start preparing for sales by checking which birds are ready for the market and confirming orders with customers. He notes that they slaughter broilers at about 2.5kg.
Isondlo Holdings currently supplies households, day care centres and people in the surrounding community. Zwane adds that the business wants to strengthen these markets while working towards supplying local shops, supermarkets, butcheries and other retailers.
Scaling up: Eyeing the commercial retail market
Limited production space and a lack of capital remain the biggest challenges. Zwane says these limitations make it difficult for the business to increase production, improve its infrastructure and expand its marketing and distribution.
He explains that the partners want to build a properly equipped commercial chicken house, with cold storage and enough space to handle bigger production. They also need enough working capital to keep production going and eventually supply the retail market consistently.
The business still has a way to go, but the group has shown that with a common goal and by working together, you can build a sustainable future and a lasting legacy.
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