AGRI-PULSE – BRITS – Nomathemba Langa (31), is not only a passionate pig farmer, but also the proud founder and CEO of Inyama Yethu - a 326-hectare farm in the Zvezda Game Resort just outside Brits in North West.
AgriPulse spoke to Nomathema about her passion for farming and said that she learned the pride, respect and love for farming from her father, Simphiwe Zikalala.
He bought the Zvezda Game Resort in 2013 with the hope of ensuring that the family’s farming legacy continues.
“My dad taught me that not everything in life has to be about you, it is possible to put other people first. When he bought this farm, it was not about him, but about us, and the community we serve,” she said.
She says that her father challenged her to choose a project that will not only be profitable and benefit the family, but also uplift young farmers in the Brits area. There were a range of animals on the farm, but it was the pigs that caught her fascination.
“I went to Pietermaritzburg for training and when I came back, my mind set had changed. I knew that I wanted to start farming with pigs commercially,” she says.
She was determined to build on the legacy her father started and today she farms with pigs on her 300 hectares of land.
“We are a 100% black female owned business that processes, wholesale and retail meat to the public. We mostly process salami, cheese grillers, and a variety of biltong. We also do meat hampers, sell whole carcasses and do deliveries in the area. We offer quality products at the lowest price so that everyone can afford it,” she said.
Since the beginning of her farming journey, she experienced a lot of challenges that made her stronger as a farmer. As a young woman in farming she had the ambition to succeed and learned that dedication, hard work and the will to go the extra mile, makes survival possible in the agriculture industry
“Agriculture is essential in our daily lives and without agriculture, there is no life.”
As part of her commitment towards a bright future for young farmers in agriculture, her farm is accredited by the Agriculture Sector Education Training Authority (Seta).
She realised people need proper training when it comes to animal production and business management. The accredited training she provides helps people who want to venture into agriculture and gain entrepreneurial skills that will help them start their own business.
She urges other young farmers to always draw the positives from whatever negativity they encounter.
Nomathemba’s dedication and expertise in farming have not gone unnoticed. She was recognized as one of the top 10 influential agriculturists in 2020 and received a recognition award for Agro-processing in 2022.
