Faced with unemployment, Zimbili Mfusi decided to plunge into farming and entrepreneurship.
Mfusi of Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga, graduated with a diploma in public relations from Springfield College in Durban in 2020, but she struggled to find a job afterwards.
“Jobs are scarce in SA and I had never had the opportunity to work in the field that I studied for. So, in 2021 I decided to register a farming business,” she said.
Mfusi, 26, is the owner of Mphezulu Farm which specialises in mixed farming including vegetable production, livestock, grain and poultry. Some of the vegetables she farms are spinach, cabbage, butternut, pumpkin, gem squash, potatoes, carrots and beetroot.
The business also has a food processing component where we produce sauces and spices. I sell my products to formal and informal markets.
— Zimbili Mfusi, farmer and entrepreneur
“The business also has a food processing component where we produce sauces and spices. I sell my products to formal and informal markets. With SUPERSPAR Volksrust being the biggest brand I supply, I also sell to local supermarkets, schools, clinics and community members.”
Her love for farming dates back to her childhood when she watched her grandmother run her own farming business. Mfusi was fortunate enough to have her mother buy a 100-hectare farm for her in 2003 so that she could use it in the future.
In 2023, the business received 1,000 chickens and chicken feed from the provincial department of agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs through its Masibuyele Esibayeni Programme. Before then, she only had about 200 chickens per cycle.
The Masibuyele Esibayeni Programme was established in 2011 to support livestock farmers in the province.
Mfusi's business has so far created five permanent jobs and employs a few more temporary staff during harvest seasons and when there is a high demand for production.
This article was first published in GCIS's Vuk'uzenzele publication.
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