A special-needs school teacher from East London is among the three finalists hand-picked by the AHi, a leading business chamber, for this year’s MyAHI Small-Scale Farmer of the Year award.
Sitembele Dlutu, the founder of Sipokuhle Community Development, is the inspiration behind an agricultural project that empowers young and vulnerable people with intellectual disabilities through skills development and job creation.
He was nominated along with Ivan Cloete, who farms in Darling in the Western Cape, and the Somerset-West farming couple Eugene and Alan Simons. The winner will be announced at the AHi’s gala dinner on Thursday, 3 November in George.
Cloete farms with sheep, lupins, pigs and barley on Colenso, a 861ha farm on the West Coast. He made headlines nationally last year after he took on the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development over its policy on leased land for black farmers.
Meanwhile, Simons is the owner of Algina Wholesale Plant Nursery in Firgrove. Her husband, Alan, is also a farmer and the owner of Alan’s Vegetables. Together, they form a formidable farming couple who are a great source of inspiration for their local communities.
The Simons couple’s agricultural journey began more than ten years ago when both of them coincidentally faced layoffs at different jobs. They chose agriculture, and quickly made a name for themselves as vegetable, herb and seedling growers. In recent years, the couple has suffered a lot of damage due to several incidents of crime on their farm.
The 2021 MyAHi Small-Scale Farmer of the Year was Byron Booysen, a tunnel farmer from Kraaifontein, outside Cape Town. Booysen, who also appeared on kykNET’s popular Boer soek ’n vrou programme, was described by Western Cape agriculture minister Dr Ivan Meyer as one of the sector’s greatest assets.
The MyAHi Awards are presented by AHi Western Cape, a leading business chamber with an increasing national footprint. This year, it has decided to also recognise the economic contribution of business owners, small-scale farmers and the role of emerging business chambers nationwide.
Besides the Small-scale Farmer of the Year award, the organisation will also presented prizes for Business Chamber of the Year, Emerging Business Chamber of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Start-Up Business of the Year, and Hospitality Business of the Year.
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