• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
Kwenzokuhle Majola is a passionate young farmer with a powerful drive to succeed, and he's building on the agricultural legacy left by his forebears.

Young farmer is building on legacy his father left him

20th January 2020
Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

11th August 2022
Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

11th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Thanks to Netafim’s innovative solutions, drip irrigation is within reach of small-scale farmers. Photo: Supplied

Yes, precision irrigation is possible on a budget

11th August 2022
There's been a major breakthrough with South African citrus containers that have been contained at European ports. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Relief! Govt convinces EU to save SA citrus

11th August 2022
Willem Booise (left) is a trustee and has won the industry’s Specialist Agricultural Worker of the Year award in 2018. Photo: Supplied/Hortgro

Fruit farm shows there’s power in transformation

11th August 2022
Many people love avocados, but did you know that the introduction of just one of these fruits per day can improve the overall quality of your diet? Photo: Pixabay

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

10th August 2022
Davidzo Chizhengeni, animal scientist, founder of KvD livestock, Ika Cronje, farmer and participant in the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022 programme, Vuyokazi Makapela, a Director at Afrivet, and permaculture farmer, Stephanie Mullins. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

10th August 2022
Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

11th August 2022
The value of South Africa’s informal farming sector is understated, experts say, and many farmers say that they prefer trading to this segment of the economy. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

10th August 2022
Gauteng police recovered and confiscated sheep and goats in Sedibeng this week. Photo: Supplied/SAPS

ICYMI: Police recover stolen livestock

10th August 2022
Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

11th August 2022
Setting up a regenerative smallholding

Setting up a regenerative smallholding

9th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Once struggling farm now a family heirloom

    Optimal yields now at farmers’ finger tips

    Some of the children with the ECD practitioner Yolanda Shabalala. Zero2Five Trust promotes holistic Early Childhood Development in formerly disadvantaged areas by improving learners’ health and education outcomes with nutrition and education programmes. Photo: Supplied/Zero2Five Trust

    Zero2Five: Giving hope to KZN flood victims

    Agripreneur 101: Kupisa Sauce is going places

    Agripreneur 101: Kupisa Sauce is going places

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

Young farmer is building on legacy his father left him

by Magnificent Mndebele
20th January 2020
in Movers and Shakers
Reading Time: 7 mins read
A A
Kwenzokuhle Majola is a passionate young farmer with a powerful drive to succeed, and he's building on the agricultural legacy left by his forebears.

Kwenzokuhle Majola is a passionate young farmer with a powerful drive to succeed, and he's building on the agricultural legacy left by his forebears.

Kwenzokuhle Majola’s fondest memories as a child were when he’d go to look after a herd of livestock at a family farm in Swartberg, a farming community in the East Griqualand near Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). 

“I like playing with cows and seeing how they react. For example, if you have a calf that’s lost a mother and you are feeding it yourself, that whole appreciation of what it gives back in terms of energy,” says Majola (27) fondly.  

Kwenzokuhle Majola
Kwenzokuhle Majola

As far back as he can remember, farming has been a family pursuit, Majola recalls. His grandfather was a successful farmer and so are his parents. “Unlike most children, the first thing I knew was to drive a tractor at the age of nine when I was feeding cattle,” he tells me.  

ADVERTISEMENT

His parents would instruct him to look after livestock either during weekends or school break. He enjoyed this experience and, fascinatingly, almost two decades later, he still does.  

Majola’s perpetual endearment for agriculture, particularly livestock, moulded by his family background, led him to professionalise his passion.  

He went to study for a national diploma, majoring in animal production at Cedara Agricultural Institute in Howick. This was after he tried a bachelor’s degree in animal science at the University of KZN, which he quit two years later as he was unimpressed that the course was theory-driven. 

In 2015, he obtained his diploma and took over the family farming operation of over 1 000 hectares in Swartberg.

Driven to grow 

They primarily focus on beef and wool, with angus cattle making up 95% of the cattle, and dohne merino sheep yielding about 35 tons of wool per year. All in all he looks after about 1200 heads of livestock. 

On top of his cattle and sheep livestock operation, Majola has planted 200 hectares of yellow maize for farm use. However, it turns out that most of his maize produce is sold off. 

However, he still feels his farming operation is on the small side. While grateful for the good work and his journey thus far, he says he is not a fan of stagnation. 

 “I can’t be complacent that my [current  farming operation] is a lot. In the sense of economic scale, it’s just a numbers game. What separates me from other people is the aggressive nature of saying I must not be comfortable with where I am currently at.” 

“There’s no ceiling. I haven’t yet reached my peak, you can only plateau. Always [one has to] think outside of the box and see what opportunities are there.” 

Nevertheless, Majola’s farming operation is  growing steadily. Right now, his ultimate goal is expanding his market access. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’re looking at tapping into exports now. I’m moving away from the primary aspect of agriculture, I am into the secondary-tertiary level of it,” he tells me. “I’m always pushing hard. There are always new developments and you need to tap into the market that no one is doing.” 

In 2015, Majola took over the family farming operation of over 1 000 hectares in Swartberg in KwaZulu-Natal.

Majola says he wants to diversify his operation by venturing into vegetables, preferably potatoes. “The demand for potatoes is huge in the market. The potential of that crop is more sustainable. It’s something I am looking at in the future.” 

Oh, I almost forgot! This farmer does not perceive himself as a farmer. “I am an entrepreneur, because it’s not only the production side, it’s the marketing aspects and everything in between [that I need] to pay attention to to make the business succeed,” he says, adding that this mentality could help other farmers to run profitable and sustainable agribusinesses. 

 Support on the farm 

Majola draws inspiration from his admirable predecessor. “My father is my mentor. There are a lot of lessons I’ve learned [from him] in terms of running the operation and making decisions. He’s encouraged me to be open-minded.” Majola also receives support from his sisters. They serve as a voice of reason and to validate his thoughts when he wants to make critical decisions. 

To successfully run the farm, Majola is assisted by eight permanent staff members. “It’s critical to be more efficient. Whenever we need extra [people to assist in the farm], we do get temporary labour,” he says.  

When interacting with his employees about issues concerning the operation, Majola uses a laissez-faire management style. “I have a foreman who’s been in the industry for over 20 years. I give him leeway to run the operation. I’d only say ‘let’s make a change here and there’ because of technological advances and I’d explain why we have to change. This also helps them to grow their knowledge base. We have a great working relationship and it’s been working really well for us.” 

Land redistribution 

Majola is fortunate that his parents and grandparents cemented a solid foundation for their offspring. However, not many black emerging farmers are like him as a result of inaccessibility of vast amounts of land. 

He strongly believes the government should give land back to previously disadvantaged groups in order to alleviate poverty and foster prospects which will revitalise the economy.  

“Land is a mechanism to create new wealth. It’s an opportunity to start and have a tangible asset that you can trade with,” Majola says. 

“The natives of this country need to be given back not only land, but land that has high potential. I see people being given land [where there’s lower chances of rainfall], that’s not giving land back. It needs to be redistributed in a fairer manner. When people were relocated during apartheid, the land which they were dispossessed of was significant for agriculture.” 

He adds: “Black people need to be confident that we can farm, because our forefathers have been doing it. It’s just that we are not exposed to agriculture.” 

Tags: East GriqualandKokstadKwaZulu-NatalKwenzokuhle Majola
Previous Post

Mpho Nogueira’s passion for flavours fuels her thriving business

Next Post

Walking the ancient livestock paths of Namaqualand

Magnificent Mndebele

Magnificent Mndebele

Magnificent Mndebele grew up in Thokozane, an impoverished village. He values journalism that covers remote rural areas from a socially committed perspective.

Related Posts

Some of the children with the ECD practitioner Yolanda Shabalala. Zero2Five Trust promotes holistic Early Childhood Development in formerly disadvantaged areas by improving learners’ health and education outcomes with nutrition and education programmes. Photo: Supplied/Zero2Five Trust

Zero2Five: Giving hope to KZN flood victims

by Staff Reporter
27th July 2022
0

The Zero2Five Trust has been working tirelessly to provide children and their families with food parcels and blankets in the...

KZN event shining a light on the dairy industry

KZN event shining a light on the dairy industry

by Nicole Ludolph
27th July 2022
0

EVENT: KPR Conference and Trading is hosting a three-day dairy farming event in August to shine a light on the...

Public servants sow good deeds across Mzansi

Public servants sow good deeds across Mzansi

by Staff Reporter
20th July 2022
0

In pictures: It's a wrap. Mandela Day 2022 once again saw thousands of South Africans spend at least 67 minutes...

In this episode on natural disasters that threaten agricultural production, we are joined by Andrea Campher, Agri SA’s risk and disaster manager. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Managing disasters in the farming sector

by Vateka Halile
10th July 2022
0

FARMER'S INSIDE TRACK: With April's floods in KwaZulu-Natal a prime example, a risk and disaster expert examines what the government...

Next Post
Veld and pastoralists: Oom Koos Paulse, experienced herder, with some of the livestock at the winter stock post at Jaarskloof in the Leliefontein Communal Area. Photo: Clement Cupido.

Walking the ancient livestock paths of Namaqualand

There's been a major breakthrough with South African citrus containers that have been contained at European ports. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
News

Relief! Govt convinces EU to save SA citrus

by Duncan Masiwa
11th August 2022
0

South Africa has managed to secure a major breakthrough for local citrus exporters. Thanks to high-level government intervention, tonnes of...

Read more
Willem Booise (left) is a trustee and has won the industry’s Specialist Agricultural Worker of the Year award in 2018. Photo: Supplied/Hortgro

Fruit farm shows there’s power in transformation

11th August 2022
Many people love avocados, but did you know that the introduction of just one of these fruits per day can improve the overall quality of your diet? Photo: Pixabay

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

10th August 2022
Davidzo Chizhengeni, animal scientist, founder of KvD livestock, Ika Cronje, farmer and participant in the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022 programme, Vuyokazi Makapela, a Director at Afrivet, and permaculture farmer, Stephanie Mullins. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

10th August 2022
Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

11th August 2022

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Women farmers bolster Tiger Brands value chain

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

Seasonal farmworkers struggle to get UIF

Determination drives this #SoilSista to succeed

ICYMI: Mama Fifi determined to rise again

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Yes, precision irrigation is possible on a budget

Relief! Govt convinces EU to save SA citrus

Fruit farm shows there’s power in transformation

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.