In May 2023, Ntobeko Vilakazi’s journey as an entrepreneur began in the small town of Ekangala, Mpumalanga. With R5 500 gifted by her family to buy a new mobile phone, Vilakazi found herself torn between the appeal of a shiny gadget and her deep-seated dream to be her own boss.
Instead of a phone, she bought her first 50 broiler chicks, transforming her home garage into a mini chicken farm. It wasn’t glamorous but as she watched her small flock grow, Vilakazi knew she’d made the right choice.
“Caring for chicks is much like taking care of a baby,” she says.
As the proud owner of Luminathi Agribusiness and Projects Pty Ltd, Vilakazi’s day begins with a focused routine. At sunrise, she moves through her coop with purpose, first ensuring her chickens are well-fed with starter feed and fresh water. With each feeder filled, she turns to sweeping and disinfecting the coop, and scrubbing down feeders and water containers until everything is spotless.
“We then monitor the chicks’ health, looking for any signs of illness or stress,” she says. Throughout the day, they focus on maintaining ventilation, temperature, and hydration. Around midday, they observe the chicks’ behaviour for any potential issues.
“In the evening, we repeat the feeding and secure the coop doors and windows to protect the birds,” Vilakazi adds.
Bouncing back stronger
After finishing matric, Vilakazi jumped straight into her love for farming by studying livestock production at Buhle Farmer’s Academy. She also picked up some short courses in business management and permaculture at Tshwane University of Technology.
After launching her poultry business, Vilakazi’s hard work was paying off and her small operation was doing well – until 2023, when bird flu (avian influenza) swept through.
Faced with this unexpected blow, she was forced to press pause on her business. It was a challenging setback but she did not let that stop her. At the beginning of 2024, she rented a chicken coop close to home and set her sights on growing her flock from 150 to 1 100 chickens per cycle.
Since then, Vilakazi has not looked back. She plans to add an animal health course to her studies to expand her business.
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Strict biosecurity and big dreams
Luminathi Agribusiness supplies fresh poultry to the informal markets in Ekangala and nearby communities like Light City, Rethabiseng, Zithobeni, KwaMhlanga, Vezubuhle, and Tweefontein. However, Vilakazi has her sights set even higher. She’s working to enter the formal market.
Depending on customer preferences, she sells the chickens live or processed at the abattoir. “When I started, I used to slaughter at home with the help of my family. Now, I use the abattoir since the business has grown, and my operations have evolved as well.”
Vilakazi explains that young birds are more vulnerable to diseases, so she limits access to the coop.
“I’m very strict about biosecurity,” she says. “Only my worker and I are allowed inside until the birds reach six weeks.”
Plans for expansion and empowering her community
Vilakazi dreams of expanding her agribusiness to include pig farming, an area she knows and has some experience in. However, with only a small plot of land, her ambitions are constrained.
“When I was farming in our garage at home, I saw the impact limited space has on animals. My birds were struggling with heat and disease circulation.”
Vilakazi envisions adding vegetable farming to boost her cash flow, drawing on her experience growing maize, soya, spinach, and peppers – a skill set she honed back home.
Eager to diversify, she’s actively seeking funding to bring her plans to life and dreams of expanding her business to eventually employ a larger team. For now, she manages with the help of two seasonal workers, but she sees a future where her farm provides more jobs and opportunities for her community.
“I plan to achieve this through strategic planning, partnerships, and innovation,” she says with quiet determination.
For Vilakazi, each step forward is both a lesson and a victory. Despite farming on a very small scale, she is convinced this is only the beginning of her journey.
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