Thalitha Zondi, a female farmer supplying the Joburg Market since 2017, is eagerly preparing for the Farmers’ and SMME Day on Thursday, 17 October 2024. Her farming journey is a testament to resilience and determination.

Initially disinterested in agriculture despite her rural upbringing, Zondi’s passion was ignited by a vegetable production training course offered by the Agricultural Research Council in 2008.

“Starting small with a backyard garden, I soon realised the need for more land and returned to Rustenburg, where the local tribal committee granted me land and encouraged community collaboration,” Zondi recalls.

While the cooperative gave her a solid foundation, Zondi sought personal growth and profit. “The community project was more about social entrepreneurship than personal gain,” she explains.

Her perseverance paid off when she joined the Public Works Farming Programme in 2016, securing 10 hectares of land. However, issues with formal documentation hindered her access to funding, making progress difficult.

“In 2017, I began supplying local supermarkets and the Joburg Market with vegetables like Chinese chard and potatoes,” says Zondi.

A turning point came in 2019 when she acquired 98 hectares through the Land Reform programme, establishing her current farm in Randfontein. Despite limited resources, Zondi now cultivates crops such as potatoes, sugar beans, spinach, cabbage, and butternut. “Cabbage has been my most profitable crop because it regrows quickly after harvesting,” Zondi emphasises.

Her dedication to meeting agricultural standards earned her SAGAP certification in 2022 and Global GAP certification in 2023, allowing her to supply a wider range of supermarkets. She has also ventured into packaging green beans and spinach, with ambitions to establish a food processing facility and a certified packhouse.

“What I hope to gain from Farmers Day is access to funding, guidance on farm management, food processing equipment, and insights on setting up a fully functional packhouse,” she says.

Zondi’s advice to aspiring farmers is clear: “Start small, even in your backyard. Farming takes years to grow, and without passion, you won’t last in the agricultural industry,” she stresses. Despite facing numerous challenges, Zondi has proved that persistence and dedication in farming can lead to success.

Written by Nonhlanhla Mbonambi
14/10/2024

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