What started out as a hobby nine years ago, has now developed into a farming enterprise in two different countries. Today, former accountant Justin Dziruni has 12 full-time employees and a number of seasonal workers.
His company, Zazo Boergoats breeds Boergoats and Red Kalahari goats. Mainly in South Africa .He also runs an indigenous breeding operation in Mashonaland central in Zimbabwe, Dziruni is thus able to supply goats to different clients in South Africa and other countries.
In an interview with Food For Mzansi, Dziruni said he hoped to, one day, launch a goat farming academy to develop the next generation of farmers. This year, he was nominated as Farmer of the Year in the SA-Zim Archivers competition.
Tiisetso Manoko: Your total herd is nearly 400 goats strong. That is pretty impressive for a guy who started out in the corporate world. How did you fall in love with the vibrant agriculture sector?
Justin Dziruni: I started farming when I was a little boy. I spent the first years of my life on a rural plot in Honde Valley, Zimbabwe. However, the seed to do livestock farming was planted by my uncle when I was in high school.
He was a successful cattle farmer, but also kept a few goats. I used to love visiting his farm in Nyanga during the school holidays. I loved being around cattle and dreamed of having my own herd one day. Life has dealt me a different path and I have become a goat farmer instead.
Judging by your impressive operation, you must have a qualification in agriculture…
I [actually] don’t have any formal agricultural qualifications. Growing up, I followed my other passion, accounting, which culminated in me qualifying as a chartered accountant. Most of the goat farming knowledge I have acquired has been through self-study; learning from experience and from mentors in the goat industry.
What inspired you to venture into farming?
Interestingly, I have always wanted to retire on a farm. The gruelling demands of the accounting profession required me to find ways of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. That is what drove me to pursue weekend hobby farming from 2013. I acquired a plot in Vereeniging and started off as a weekend hobby vegetable farmer.
What started off as hobby farming morphed into some commercial operations after realising that I could still enjoy the plot on my weekend visits, but could make a bit of money through going commercial.
The vegetable business grew in leaps and bounds to a point where we needed to expand. It was in this quest to find additional land that I stumbled upon this piece of land in Modimolle. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw it, was “goats”.
This is because the land was a mix of shrubs and trees that I knew goats loved to browse on from my visits to my uncle’s farm back in the day. I bought the piece of land in 2014 and it’s currently our main breeding base for goats.
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What challenges have you experienced in the goat industry?
The biggest challenge in my case has been balancing the demands of my day-job requirements. To address this challenge, it was imperative that I employed a farm manager to run the farming operations. My responsibility is mainly to drive the strategic direction of the farm. I also decided to only focus on goat production as it is less demanding on my time.
The key, however, is to have a trusted farm manager and employees. I count myself very lucky to have a team of workers who are excellent.
So, you’re not just farming, you’re also exporting. Didn’t that come with a lot of red tape?
When you are a Boer goat stud breeder, the demand for your goats is from all over the world. I have been fortunate to export some goats to different countries around Africa.
The export process is quite onerous as there are lots of animal health protocols that must be followed in addition to having the goats to be exported inspected by judges from the Boer Goat Association.
Whoa! I can only imagine how other up-and-coming farmers on Food For Mzansi will look up to you. Do you have a special message for them?
The biggest step you can take is to start. I have learned a lot from getting my hands dirty. Literally. As you can see from my own journey, it is mostly your passion that will carry you even when you have challenges.
Although farming is a lot of hard work, it is something extremely rewarding if you are prepared to put in the hard work that is required. If Zazo can do it and be a success at it, so can you!
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