Dorothy Moyo is rewriting what it means to farm in South Africa. On her small plot in Limpopo, she raises livestock and crafts indigenous products like baobab juice, avocado seed tea, and mopani worm spice, proving that purpose and roots can grow powerful legacies.
As the founder of Radzilani General Trading, Moyo has transformed a modest 14-hectare plot in Mokopane, Limpopo, into a diverse agribusiness, championing indigenous knowledge, nutrition, and entrepreneurship.
She grew up in a township with no background in farming. However, her path into agriculture was far from traditional; it began unexpectedly at a seminar at Meropa organised by Allan Gray.
“There, a speaker’s words struck a chord: ‘Our grandfathers invested through livestock.’ That was their bank.”
Farming takes root
Those words lingered long after the seminar, quietly challenging everything she thought she knew about wealth, legacy, and where she truly belonged.
With a diploma in mechanical engineering and a trade as a boilermaker, Moyo built a solid career as an engineering supervisor at Anglo Platinum. However, beneath the steel and sparks of industry, a seed was growing, one that would take root in soil and sunlight.
“My husband, Timothy Moyo, had a passion for farming. I came on board when we bought our land and faced water issues. We couldn’t farm crops, so we started with livestock.”
What began in 2017 with 100 broiler chicks has since grown into a thriving operation housing over 6 000 birds, as well as Kalahari goats, sheep, Brahman cattle, and even rabbits, introduced at the insistence of her children.
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Agro-processing with a twist
Farming soon evolved into agro-processing, beginning with an abundant harvest of chillies. “We planted just three chilli plants and got so much that I feared they’d spoil,” she recalls.
However, her training in food service management from the old Technikon Northern Transvaal (now Tshwane University of Technology) kicked in. “I thought, why not preserve it?”
The chillies sparked a product range inspired by African plants and traditional remedies. Moyo began developing juices, teas, and powders from indigenous crops like baobab and avocado seeds. “I googled. I read. I experimented,” she laughs. “Baobab juice was just the beginning.”
Now, Radzilani General Trading produces baobab juice, decaf baobab seed coffee, chilli sauces, avocado seed tea, and a range of herbal teas and powders made from guava leaves, pomegranate leaves, indigenous mint, and blackjack.
Each item is rooted in cultural memory and backed by health benefits.
A standout in her product line is mopani worm spice, a clever solution to a modern nutritional problem. “Kids today see mopani worms and run, but they’re 60% protein! So I turned it into a spice or powder for smoothies or porridge.
“With farming, I see my future. I have no pension. My livestock and my land are my retirement. I want to grow old eating food I produced myself.”
Feeding markets and mindsets
Moyo supplies broilers to informal traders, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and social clubs who buy in bulk. “We supply to hawkers at taxi ranks, in-house buyers, and people in rural villages. It’s a cycle of supporting each other,” she says.
Her agro-processed products, meanwhile, are gaining traction beyond South Africa’s borders. In 2024, she travelled to Mauritius with the Proudly South African Export Readiness Programme to showcase her goods.
“I had nothing to sell, just samples, but people wanted to buy everything. That’s when I knew I had something.”
For Moyo, agriculture is more than business. “I’m African. We have everything we need here – our knowledge, our plants, our land. Why not use it?”
Her vision is intergenerational. One day, when she retires, she hopes to sit on her farm and eat what she grows. “I want to see my children and grandchildren living from this land. That’s the legacy I’m building.”
Skills development and giving back
Moyo is a socially conscious entrepreneur. With a heart firmly rooted in service, she believes in giving back and empowering others, especially young people. For her, it means using her platform and resources to create lasting change.
“I have an accreditation with AgriSETA and use it to transfer agricultural skills to local youth,” she explains.
Her commitment to community upliftment doesn’t stop there. Moyo also runs a non-profit organisation (NPO) alongside her children, focused on supporting disadvantaged youth.
Every January, her NPO donates school shoes to learners in need, and during December, they host festive events for children who would otherwise go without. In addition to her work with the NPO, Moyo is part of a sustainable initiative where children taken off the streets are taught life skills.
Her family plays an active role. Her daughter, Thato, helps manage the NPO, while her son, Lehlogonolo, who owns shares in the farming business, takes charge during school holidays to learn the ropes.
Expansion on the horizon
Currently employing 12 people, Moyo acknowledges that her farming operation is still growing. Though she doesn’t yet have crops in full production, preparations are underway on a newly leased 1 200-hectare farm in Louis Trichardt, significantly larger than the 14-hectare plot she started with, which had limited water access.
The new farm has the infrastructure needed for expansion, but her ultimate dream is to own the land and establish a training centre for agricultural graduates.
“I want to build houses, classrooms, and provide practical learning for youth,” she shares.
She urges youth to take advantage of government platforms, which offer support, mentorship, and coaching for young entrepreneurs.
“Think out of the box. Use your brain and your hands, everyone has a purpose. Start something small, and let the government find you already moving.”
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