Nsete Farming Cooperative celebrated its third birthday with stakeholders, business community and members of the Bergzicht community at Ga-Maraba, Mashashane on Thursday. The celebrations coincided with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Farmer’s Day Celebrations aimed at paying tribute to farmers for their concerted efforts in contributing to the agricultural sector.
The cooperative was the brainchild of Matthews Ledwaba, owner of Teroy Sound and Security who founded it 2015. His aim was to create employment and improve the livelihood of community members by means of cultivating spinach, cabbage, carrots, butternut, beetroot, green pepper and tomatoes on his 10 ha of land.
The project started off with 15 community workers but now employ nearly twice the number. Their produce is sold to the community as well as formal and informal markets while local home care centres, schools and underprivileged homes receive generous donations. The project started its own drop-in centre with 85 children at the same village.
“When we started we did not have resources at all. We were using a generator for the irrigation system and it cost a lot of money. We struggled to keep up with the cost but we to soldiered on. We have electricity now. We currently employ 28 people from the community and plan to employ 60 more by next year. We managed to expand from 10 hectares to 30 hectares in a short period of time so we can plant potatoes and sweet potatoes. We want to change people’s lives in and I think by employing more persons we will be fulfilling that mandate,” Ledwaba stated.
He thanked the Department of Rural Development for donating a tractor to the cooperative. “We were using an old tractor and it had its own challenges. With the new one we are able to complete most of the work at the farm. We still need more resources because we are planning to increase the hectares in order for us to cultivate more produce,” Ledwaba said.
He also commented that they were proud of the strides the cooperative has made since its inception. “We did not have a market at all when we started. We were just donating some produce to the home care centres, schools and underprivileged homes in the area. We are happy to announce that some our biggest clientele are Spar Supermarket, Boxer SuperStores, Choppies Enterprises, OK Foods and Medupi Mine. We want to supply to other companies too,” he concluded.
Refiloe Segapu, ward commitee of Ward 41 in Ga-Maraba urged members of the community to guard the farm and also pleaded with the business community to support the cooperative. “Ledwaba is doing well for the community. He is not doing it to enrich himself but to empower the community. He has employed plenty of community members at his cooperative and plans to employ more. We need people like him in our communities,” Segapu said.
Applauding Ledwaba for his outstanding work Kwena Mokgotloa, representing the department, described Ledwaba as a man who plays a key role in the development of the community. “Unemployment is one of the key challenges in the country and we are happy to see people like Ledwaba coming up with initiatives to fight the scourge of poverty. We are happy to have met someone like him because we love givers. We love people who plough back into the community and we will continue to support such people, Mokgohloa said.
Clive Baragwanath, member of Rotary Club of Pietersburg 100 described Ledwaba as a good businessman who has the interest of the community at heart. “He does everything for free and that is what makes him special. He is a success already and he is unselfish. His cooperative is a good example of what can be achieved in the community. I wish every community can have a Matthews Ledwaba,” Baragwanath said.
Khomotjo Mashala, also from the department, also praised Ledwaba for his sterling work and his contribution in the community. “He has done well for himself and the community. He is working well with stakeholders and we want to see him growing from smallholder farmer to commercial farmer so that he can contribute more to the economy of this country,” Mashala said.
To order vegetables contact 072 175 0009 / 083 290 2029.
Story and photos: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com
employees David Moselakgomo, Noel Ledwaba, Matsobane Mosomane and
Raymond Bambo.
