In a heart-warming message to the Agri SA congress, Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman called on farmers to rise up and fix the country through reskilling and re-educating those who need a hand to change their lives.
He said that despite all its flaws, South Africa can be fixed. All it needed was a change in mindset, how things are perceived, and how people got along. All these were critical factors in building a brighter tomorrow.
Addressing attendees at The Maslow Times Square in Pretoria, Sooliman called on the farming community to continue investing despite the many challenges it faces. He urged farmers to be all hands-on deck to better the country through creating employment for the youth.
Sooliman challenged attendees to help reshape the country.
“The is no way R7 million [in] taxes can feed [a] 65 million population. It is impossible. We must be agents of change. This country belongs to you, not the government. Let us play our part. We have seen through our interventions, when we deal with farmers they are able to come together, all races, and find a solution,” he said.
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Actively working with farmers
Sooliman furthermore reminded attendees how Gift of the Givers started. It started working closely with farmers during the 2017 Knysna fires when it delivered 20 000 food parcels. In the Sutherland drought, it drilled 238 boreholes and provided feed to farmers which led to thousands of jobs saved and livelihood restored.
“For the first time in January this year in Sutherland, the sheep count in that area started rising because we paid for the machine which makes the pallets. You put maize and fodder, although the farmers had to buy those pallets, but with a reduced price.
“The people who are doing the pallets called me a month ago wanting to increase the price of that pallets because of the increase in inputs in the country. I told them, ‘Do not increase the price. We will subsidise the difference so that the pallets are still at the same cost.’”
Also, Gift of the Givers has drilled 45 boreholes in Port Elizabeth. “We are sending water tanks all over the Amothole district [in East London]. We are still supplying feed and developing agriculture. We are doing a lot of things. All these things are possible because of the willingness of South Africans.”
Sooliman described agriculture as the country and economy’s biggest asset.
“South Africans have the skill. We have the know-how. We can change this country. We can fix this country,” he said.
After the country “being in ICU” during the Covid-19 pandemic, the corporate world also put compassion ahead of commercialisation. “We need to change the way we behave towards people. Our mindset needs to change. Take ownership of the country. Do not be afraid.”
According to Sooliman, he was particularly concerned about malnutrition in the Eastern Cape – a province in which children died daily because of not having access to food.
“Let us hold hands together and do good. We do not need recognition. We all must make [just] 1% difference. Forget the stereotypes. Hold hands and be willing to share.”
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