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When the hard lockdown forced Ntombi Mahlangu to work from home, boredom kicked in and she decided to rekindle her love for farming at her hometown of Zithobeni, a township in Bronkhorstspruit.
Mahlangu, 29, an IT technician with the Gauteng department of education, decided to keep herself busy by growing vegetable, an activity whose outstanding results led her to selling her produce.
“I've always wanted to be a farmer. When I was young, I would plant veggies in my mother’s backyard. Since I do IT support work which involves working at schools, which were closed during hard lockdown, I had all the time in my hands to grow veggies again,” Mahlangu said.
“I did research on the prices of vegetables at the Tshwane market, calculated transport costs and when I should go there because it is usually busy there.”
Mahlangu said she was also driven by the fact that level 5 lockdown laws allowed trade in food supply as that was considered essential service. She promptly registered her business and started selling her produce along the main road in Zithobeni.
She sells spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, beetroot, green beans, peppers and gem squash. She also sells a R50 Covid-Combo that includes lemon, ginger and garlic, which she says can help boost the immune system. The combo is a hit with her online clients.
“The support I am receiving is amazing."
Mahlangu, who is known as Babes Wama Veg on social media, said she is planning to quit her main job to focus on her farming business on full-time basis.
“I feel free hustling in the streets than working in the office.”
Her dream is to own her own store, and sell fruit as well.
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