Mahlatse aims for title of most successful young female farmer
Mahlatse Matlakana (22) started farming to assist her single, unemployed mother to put food on the table.
LIMPOPO – At 22 years of age, Mahlatse Matlakana has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the farming industry.
The young farmer from Ga-Kibi village started working on farms to help her single unemployed mother put food on the table. Mahlatse explained that the circumstances she grew up in challenged her to make things better for her family.
“I had to better the situation not just for my mother but for my community as well, as I know what it feels to beg for food. That is the reason I keep pushing for the best,” she explained.
She worked on farms during school holidays in Gr 11 and 12. She took a gap year after she matriculated and during that time, started planting and growing green peppers as a hobby.
“It started as a hobby and I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could do with the knowledge I have. The hobby was driven by passion,” she said.
Mahlatse plans to attain an agriculture degree and have a qualification behind her experience.
It was not difficult for her to go into the market of selling green peppers because her product is of good quality. Besides a lack of transport, she once had to overcome a hailstorm which destroyed her entire crop and she had to start over.
“Things were difficult because I had to retrench some of the staff, but that was not enough to dampen the passion I have. I bounced back,” she said.
Mahlatse has also had to overcome drought as an obstacle, which resulted in all the boreholes drying up and drilling them further did not produce more water.
“I didn’t start farming for them, I did it for myself, my family and my community. That is what drives me, that and my passion behind what I do,” she added.
She currently has six workers employed on a permanent basis and 10 seasonal workers. Mahlatse wants to run an agricultural training centre for the youth in the next five years. Here, she wants to share information about crop production and the practical side of the industry.
“I also want to see myself as one of the most successful young female farmers in the country,” she said.
