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September 2018
Potential New Era nominees
David Ramoledeli Mongoato
David Ramoledeli Mongoato was born in Matatiele on 11 October 1970. Both his parents were unemployed, so
farming was their only source of income. They worked the land with oxen and planted by hand. His interest
in agriculture developed as a young boy working with his parents. This passion grew when he started teaching
agriculture in the local school. One could say that he was destined to farm.
He began his agricultural career whilst teaching and leased a small portion of land where he began with basic
crops and a few head of livestock. Year after year this grew with whatever money he could get his hands on until
he was able to lease Donald Drift farm.
David has improved over the years, not only in yields, but also with the equipment and assets that
the operation now uses. His yield has improved year-on-year. He slowly grew from subsistence
to smallholder to an advanced farmer, joining the 250 Ton Club. The growth has been steady
and consistent.
Jeremia Makhosini Mathebula
Jeremia Makhosini Mathebula was born on 14 September 1979. He grew up in the Iswepe area near
Piet Retief on the Ingwempisi estate farm where he used to help his father plant maize on their small
piece of land. His father used to plant 1 ha of maize and he had a herd of twelve cattle on communal land.
The starting point in his agricultural career was in 2009 when he started with a herd of twelve cattle and plant
ed only 40 ha of arable land on which he could merely achieve about 4 t/ha of maize. He currently manages
over 400 breeding cows and plants a total of 450 ha of maize and 100 ha of soybeans.
This farmer has shown growth every year – he leases more farms to be able to plant more maize.
He has also grown as an independent farmer as he does everything himself and is progressing by
leaps and bounds.
Paulus Mosia
Paulus Mosia was born on the farm Vryheid in the Edenville district on 22 September 1968. He was the
sixth child of ten children (six boys and four girls). In 2007, he joined the Grain SA Farmer Development
Programme and in 2008, he was given the farm Sterkwater by the Department of Rural Development and
Land Reform as part of the PLAS Programme.
Sterkwater is 200 ha in total, with 60 ha being arable and 140 ha suitable for grazing. Paulus is an active
member of the Edenville Study Group. Both he and his wife, Nomasonto, have attended many study group
meetings, information days and training courses.
Nomasonto was instrumental in starting a new study group in Heilbron, which is now part of the
Grain SA Programme. They both declare emphatically that the Farmer Development Programme
changed their lives.
Anton and President Mabaso
Anton and President Mabaso were born on a farm, Krytfontein, in the Bothaville district: Anton on 20 February
1966 and President on 7 July 1970. Both their parents were farm workers; they were eleven children – two boys
and nine girls. Both brothers have always had a keen interest in agriculture.
Since 2010, they were able to secure lands from the Bothaville Municipality. They are
very grateful for this as it is not easy to obtain land in Bothaville. The soil is not only con
sidered prime farmland for crop farming, but land is also very expensive in this area.
In 2007, the two brothers joined the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme. They
attended many study group meetings, information days and training courses.
Grain SA also started visiting them on their farms. They felt empowered and
were ready to farm. During the past three to four years, they have progressed
from subsistence farmers to potential commercial candidates.
TM