- Title: Zimbabwean migrants build profitable farm business in South Africa.
- Date: 16th May 2016
- Summary: MALMESBURY, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FARMERS REMOVING MAIZE STALKS (SOUNDBBITE) (English) JULIUS SHAMU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ZIMBABWE EXCELLENCE AWARDS SAYING: "If you are living in a certain city you have to make use of what is there, so these guys made a unique success story whereby they actually approached the owner of the land and asked him 'could we farm here'. They didn't say let us go back to Zimbabwe and ask for land in Zimbabwe, they are working here, their families are here, they need to provide for their families and they need to be recognized. What they are doing is not about - 'can I go back to my country?' But 'can I contribute to the city where I am staying? Can I do something better for the city'." FARMERS WALKING FROM MAIZE FIELD MAIZE ROASTING FARM WORKERS ROASTING MAIZE
- Embargoed: 31st May 2016 15:28
- Keywords: Farming Maize Crops Academics Migrants El Nino Drought
- Location: ZEERUST AND MALMESBURY, SOUTH AFRICA/ GOKWE, ZIMBABWE
- City: ZEERUST AND MALMESBURY, SOUTH AFRICA/ GOKWE, ZIMBABWE
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0034I22Z4N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A weekend trip to Malmesbury last year, turned out to be a life changing event for five Zimbabwean academics, when they came across this plot of land in South Africa's Western Cape Province.
The friends were out shopping for an ox at the time - a tradition they shared back in their homeland where they would buy livestock and share the meat.
Albert Zinhanga, Batsirai Magunje, Walter Khumalo, Masimba Paradza and Doctor Ignatious Matimati noticed the land and on enquiring further, landed an opportunity to farm on it for a year, for free.
The aspiring farmers only had to pay for the electricity they used and were given full access to farming equipment.
Growing up in rural Zimbabwe, farming was not new for the men as they routinely did small subsistence farming back home, but they focused more on academics than careers in agriculture.
"The land was usable but it was not fertile, so what we did if you look at the type of land that we have here - it's a bit of sand soil, which does not have much nutrients, so you need to add value to the land so that you could farm it, that's what basically we did we added value to the land - the nutrients by putting chicken manure, cow dung manure trying to improve the soil, but the land was not useless," said Albert Zinhanga.
The agricultural region located about 60 kilometers outside of Cape Town has a rich history of farming but has been experiencing drought spells over the last year, affecting output.
Luckily the farm utilizes ground water, which has helped irrigate the crops.
Now known as the N7 Malmesbury Farmers, the friends have been able to produce crops such as tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables.
But it is the maize crop, a staple here and in Zimbabwe which was the most exciting for them to grow.
They now pay about 80 dollars a hectare to the land owner to keep their dream farm going.
"We have plans to bring on board South Africans who are really willing to learn from us, so every window is open and there are no boundaries when you look at the future, there's no limit, we can refill the silos of South Africa," said Batsirai Magunje, one of the farmers.
"There is a huge difference, if I spend a day in the engineering sector, its stressing, its highly demanding, but when you come to the farming side of things, it's enjoyable, its stress relieving, we have a strong passion for farming. Just seeing crops growing just makes us happy," added Walter Chimanga Khumalo, another farmer.
South Africa last year record its lowest annual rainfall levels since comprehensive records began in 1904 as an El Nino-driven drought rips through the region, putting millions at risk of food shortage.
Southern Africa's diverse agricultural sector, from grains to livestock, has been hit hard by the weather pattern.
South Africa's farming sector may need up to 18 billion rand ($1 billion) over the next three years in financial assistance to recover from the devastating drought, according to industry group Agri SA.
In neighbouring Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has already declared a state of disaster in most rural parts of the country severely hit by the drought.
Zimbabwe is still struggling to overcome a steep 1999-2008 recession that saw its economy contract by nearly 50 percent.
An estimated one million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, after fleeing the crisis at home.
The Zimbabwean farmers recently won the 2016 small business of the year title, in the annual Zimbabwe Excellence Awards - a platform created to celebrate achievements of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
"If you are living in a certain city you have to make use of what is there, so these guys made a unique success story whereby they actually approached the owner of the land and asked him 'could we farm here'. They didn't say let us go back to Zimbabwe and ask for land in Zimbabwe, they are working here, their families are here, they need to provide for their families and they need to be recognized. What they are doing is not about - 'can I go back to my country?' But 'can I contribute to the city where I am staying? Can I do something better for the city'," said Julius Shamu, the executive director of Zimbabwe Excellence Awards.
The farmers are now working to expand their crop production from three hectares to 15 hectares and grow more vegetables, which they supply to clients at the nearby Cape Town Epping Market. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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