For many people, dividing time between worlds that are poles apart is one helluva task; one which Kolobe Lebepe embraces fearlessly.
On weekdays, he is a member of the South African Army Engineer Formation, the controlling entity of the country’s military engineering units. But every two weeks, you are sure to find him in a grubby work suit on his three-hectare farm in Moletši Ga-Komape, just a few kilos outside Polokwane, Limpopo.
“I have one full-time helper who oversees most things at the farm and, who I must also admit, he’s doing quite well for himself. Pretoria is not that far. It’s approximately a four-hour drive. So, at the end of every two weeks I am here at the farm to assist with ideas of what needs to be done,” he tells Food For Mzansi.
“When I have too many orders, I sometimes leave here around 04:00 and by 07:40 I would be reporting for work. Then, thereafter, I would again leave for Limpopo after work, and leave for Pretoria the next morning.”
On his piece of land nestled near mountains, Lebepe and co-owner Fannie Malala only grow cultivars that are not labour-intense, such as tomatoes and watermelons.
In this day and age, it is quite rare to find an up-and-coming farmer who has never applied for funding to grow their business, but Lebepe surprisingly never did. He points to the funding criterion used by government and other institutions.
The downside of being a civil servant
“The main reason why I never applied for funding is that one of their prerequisites is that you must not be employed by the government sector and you must be at the farm full-time, which I find to be discriminatory, especially the one saying you should not be employed by the government sector,” Lebepe disappointedly declares.
“Because it is not like I am getting that money from the government sector for free. I work very hard for it. On the other hand, I also work very hard on the farm, and I am producing. We should be assessed on merit. I am also previously disadvantaged.”
The idea to expand and commercialise appeals to many a farmer, but Lebepe is not yet swayed. According to him, he would rather sell his produce out of hand in the informal market, as opposed to being ripped apart by the big retailers that determine prices for him.
“Big retailers are very exploitative. I prefer to create my market through selling to street vendors and locals, and though locals don’t usually buy in bulks, at least you get all the profits,” says Lebepe.
“The retailers, on the other hand, dictate the prices for you. Their pricing model is not that good. Maybe in the long run when I am a commercial farmer I will have to deliver to retailers, but for now, the focus is on locals and street vendors. Also, commercial farming is very much mechanised, and mechanised farming requires a lot of money.”
Integrating graphic design into farming
In contrast to many farmers who are only interested in growing and selling crops, Lebepe is interestingly drawn to other parts of the agricultural vale chain such as processing and packaging design.
“I would like to own the whole supply chain in crop production from produce to processing, to packaging, and to distributing to my fresh produce market,” Lebepe explains.
Even better, he further reveals that this interest is what led to him to register for a Master’s degree in graphic design at the Vaal University of Technology. His thesis investigates the communication of graphic visuals on food packaging design.
Lebepe points out, however, that many communities still don’t take him seriously. Just three days before the country would go into a hard Covid-19 lockdown, he was finally given the three-hectare farm by the village’s induna.
It took him a while to persuade him, he says, largely due to his small physique which often makes him appear younger than his actual age. Lebepe insisted on being judged for his results on the farm rather than his appearance.
And, thanks in large part to Malala, his mechanical engineer friend, a former SANDF colleague and the co-owner of Chakula Lifestyle, Lebepe has never punched below weight during the harvest season.
Furthermore, Lebepe keeps a limited number of cattle and goats, which are also looked after by someone else at the 72ha farm that he inherited from his father in Bochum, Ga-Raweshi village.
He embraces every opportunity in agriculture.
“Monna wa tlala ga a robale!” he says.
A hungry man cannot sleep.
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