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Member landscape
September 2015
24
GRAIN SA
Grain SA/ABSA New Era Commercial Farmer
of the Year finalists
Maseli Augustinus Letuka
M
aseli Augustinus Letuka, the oldest of six boys and four girls,
grew up in Bethlehem. He married Maletea in 1997. Unfortu-
nately his wife sadly passed away in 2010.
They have four children: Two sons and two daughters. The two
sons, Guno and Motloejoa, both work at Sasol in Secunda as an op-
erator and electrical engineer respectively. Maki works as a cook at
Golden Gate and Lomile is married and lives in Bothaville.
Letuka attended school in Bethlehem in the Free State and then
studied teaching at the then Tshiya Teachers Training College.
He furthered his education until he finished his senior degree in edu-
cation specialising in “leadership and management” at the Univer-
sity of the Free State.
He worked for the Department of Education for 23 years in different
roles starting as a post level one teacher, became a senior teacher,
head of department, deputy headmaster and finished his school-
ing career as a headmaster until he resigned in 1998. He had nev-
er worked on any farm before then; it is only passion that sparked
his interest in agriculture. He started with a few cattle that he kept
in his village yard, later he became a member of the communal
grazing in the then Qwaqwa homeland. After his resignation he
bought himself a piece of land (209 ha) from Land Bank. Unfortu-
nately because of a partnership, he had to sell this land in 2008.
From then on he started leasing land from one area to another on a
contractual basis.
His involvement with Grain SA started as a study group member.
After a while he became the chairperson of the Qwaqwa study
group and currently serves on Grain SA’s Executive. Apart from his
involvement with Grain SA, he was also the president of NAFU Free
State and secretary general national, founder member of NERPO
and is still the co-ordinator in the Free State province. He was a di-
rector of NERPO and the national chairperson until the end of his
term in 2013.
Letuka was a founder member of the present AFASA, served as a
trustee of the Winter Cereals Trust and vice-chairperson of the
newly established Grain Farmer Development Association (GFADA).
He planted 86 ha of maize and expects an average yield of
5 tons/ha. He also planted 30 ha of soybeans with an average of
1,5 tons/ha. He is an example of a passionate and driven farmer
who has what it takes to be a successful commercial producer.
1: Maseli Letuka.
2: Maseli and Jurie Mentz (farmer development co-ordinator: Grain SA) in front of his maize crop.
3: He planted 86 ha of maize and expects an average yield of 5 tons/ha.
4: Israel Motlhabane and Jaco Breytenbach (two of the judges) inspecting the soybeans.
5: Some of Maseli’s tractors.
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GRAIN SA is
very proud of these finalists