Jeff Maseko’s upbringing instilled in him a drive for success that knows no bounds. His mother worked tirelessly as a domestic worker and a street vendor, and her relentless efforts deeply impressed young Jeff and his brother, Mzwandile, and they vowed to make her proud.
“My mother played a crucial role in ensuring we were well-provided for, clothed, and educated. Witnessing her efforts, shaped the person I am today,” shares the farmer from Ledig, North West.
After matriculating from high school, Maseko went on to complete his studies at Boston College in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, earning a certificate in bookkeeping. He then worked in various private companies as an accountant and financial assistant. However, the corporate world brought stress, demands, and limited growth opportunities.
“It has always been at the back of my mind to have something of my own before I reach retirement age.”
Taking a chance on piggery
Then one day, during the height of the Covid pandemic, a popular South African radio presenter asked listeners during his show how long they could survive without a salary? For Jeff, the question sparked a moment of introspection.
He and many others were facing difficult financial decisions, and the pandemic had only exacerbated the situation.
Maseko started farming officially in 2021 with 10 pigs and borrowed startup capital. He borrowed R30 000 from the bank, which was entirely allocated to infrastructure, feed, labour costs, and water supply.
His monthly water expense alone amounted to R600 for 1 400 litres every two weeks. Despite the challenges, his business, Seko’s Farming, started growing.
Seko’s Farming also faced other common challenges like losing piglets, slow growth, and feeding difficulties. Not all the piglets made it through the first year, he recalls.
Maseko saw the need for training to address these issues and gain more knowledge. So, he got himself some training on how to raise pigs properly. The next year things went way better, and by February 2023, Maseko had about 52 new pigs.
“I participated in training at Sbonekonke Trading, where I received comprehensive guidance over two days and had the opportunity to connect with a mentor for continued assistance.”
He says the training included topics on chicken care, which sparked his interest in the poultry industry after witnessing success stories from others on social media.
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Advancing through training and expansion
After receiving training from Sbonesonke’s founder, Reggie Mkhize, in Boksburg, Gauteng, Maseko recognised his growth potential and decided to incorporate chickens into his operations, successfully securing another bank loan to fund this expansion.
He started with 100 chicks and has since grown his flock to about 700 chickens. He plans to reach about 1 000 by the end of the year.
Maseko says Mkhize is his role model and seeing people making it out there and still sharing their knowledge means everything in this sector.
His path also crossed with Thami Mfene, who had been granted land by a traditional council over five years ago but had been unable to utilise it due to financial constraints.
Seko’s Farming stepped in and secured a 30-year lease for the land in Bapong-2 region, 25 km away from Maseko’s Ledig hometown. He keeps his livestock farming operation at his home in Ledig but leases the land for his crop farming.
Starting a cooperative
Since June 2023, Seko’s Farming established a cooperative with 74 shareholders, focusing on the production of 10 hectares with cabbages, spinach, pumpkin, beetroot, tomatoes, and onions.
He says, “I was inspired by Platention farm in Johannesburg; whenever buying in their shop I’ll have a desire of owning my own farm. So I decided to visit their farm. I asked them to allow me to do a presentation for my TikTok post to invite individuals who are interested in farming to invest in my project.”
He proudly shares that all these members were recruited by me via TikTok, and they trusted in the presentation her delivered. The post garnered about 169 000 views.
“I hold a 15% stake in the cooperative and raised capital by selling an 85% stake to each working person,” he says.
This allows them to have a share in the investment, enabling them to expand beyond the Bapong-2 farm. Things are going well and they are in discussions with other farmers to use their land as well.
Maseko worked hard to make his mother proud and with everything he has accomplished so far, he did.
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