MBOMBELA- As a young boy in the township of Kanyamazane, Themba Dlamini witnessed his aunt returning home during fruit picking season with bruised hands and scratches from thorns that pricked her while picking fruit.
She would explain that the workers had to work quickly because it was seasonal work and they were paid per bag, so they paid little attention to the bruises they picked up during the day; the pain of the day’s toil would only be felt in the evening. This would be exacerbated by sore muscles, because they had to carry ladders that were needed to pick fruit high in the trees.
This was a common difficulty faced by his aunt and many other women in the area during the citrus season.
Owing to South Africa’s wealth of fruit varieties in different parts of the country, it makes sense for farmers to invest in agricultural equipment that is practical and has low maintenance costs.
According to Brand South Africa, the fruit export industry represents about 12% of the country’s total earnings from agricultural exports. South African grown citrus, pears and other fruits are exported to other countries by over 360 fruit-exporter companies locally. After Spain and Turkey, South Africa is the third largest citrus exporter to world markets.
Dlamini’s experience as a child, watching his aunt and her colleagues struggle during the citrus fruit picking season, as well as an interest in drawing, inspired him to pursue a career in product design.
The result was the design and production of the Omniharvester, a lightweight, durable and user-friendly fruit harvester. It eliminates all the challenges that Dlamini’s aunt and other fruit pickers had to face.
“We took into consideration that pickers are pressed for time and they sometimes drop, step on or drive over their tools. There is no time be observant. The Omniharvester has a hook, with the cutting blades concealed inside. The hook is made from durable plastic. Farmers want to invest in equipment that is practical and durable, and the Omniharvester is just that. It is designed in such a way that it can easily be replaced if it breaks,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini was able to pursue his dream in product design with the help of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) of the Department of Science and Technology. TIA provided design training through the SABS, and he also received assistance in SMME development.
Through TIA’s SMME programme, entrepreneurs also receive financial assistance to help them develop prototypes, which is exactly what Mr Dlamini did. TIA has an initiative called the Youth Technology Innovation Programme (YTIP). YTIP aims to promote and stimulate a culture of technology innovation and entrepreneurship among South African youth by providing access to financial and business support resources.
The Acting Head of YTIP, Madimetja Segobola, said they look at novelty and socio-economic impact when assessing projects. Mr Dlamini’s project was found to be innovative, had the potential to create jobs and improve quality of life. The process of commercialising the machine is currently underway.
Dlamini said the plan was to distribute the Omniharvester through Agrinet, as they have a wide reach as far as agricultural equipment is concerned.
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