Meet Emmanuel Mudau, the Man Who Quit His Job at a Furniture Store & Bought 3 Goats, Now Owns Successful Farm
- Emmanuel Mudau took a leap of faith and quit his job at a furniture shop to pursue farming
- After quitting his job he did menial work just to get half a loaf of bread
- He is encouraging the youth to escape poverty through farming
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By Llyod Dlongolo - Freelance journalist
South Africa's farming sector is gradually growing with new players stepping into the fold.
But for Emmanuel Mudau, farming came as a sweet blessing that has afforded him the opportunity to dream big. He is now raking in some bank notes all thanks to his involvement in farming.
Having worked as a furniture shop sales consultant and earning on a commission basis, Mudau knew he had to do something big with his life. Transformation became imminent.
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Things just were not moving in the right direction for him at the furniture shop and he decided to tender his resignation.
But the hardships of life quickly caught up with him after he had resigned. The going got even tougher that he had to ask for menial jobs from his neighbours just to get half a loaf of bread.
"The thought of doing something big with my life is what propelled me to quit my job. I did not hesitate to quit after I had decided what I wanted to do with my life.
"Like most rural bred kids, farming was a beacon of hope while growing up. I was raised by a single father and I grew up in abject poverty. Life was really difficult growing up but I began to realise that farming is what put food on the table. My father was not a professional farmer but he put food on the table and that is when I realized that being a professional farmer can have bigger rewards," he said.
And so Mudau went to task. His last pay cheque was not enough to start a huge project. But he had to use it before the pilgrims of poverty knocked on his door.
He eventually decided to look for goats. After an arduous and tough search, he linked up with a farmer who sold him three goats.
That marked the beginning of a farming venture that has grown in an amazing way. But like all rags to riches stories, things were not always rosy.
"Things were very tough in the beginning. I used to go to bed on an empty stomach but I never gave up. I knew the goats would eventually multiply and I would make a profit from them. When the goats started multiplying, I used the proceeds to buy Damara sheep in 2010. My customers were mainly people from my community who needed goats or sheep to slaughter for traditional events," he said.
Damara sheep originate from Namibia and they are in demand because of their meat quality.
He is now producing his own breed called Matuba genetics, a mix-breed made up of Dorper, Van Rooy and Pedi sheep breeds.
"The best decision I ever made was buying the three goats. Farming requires patience and once things start moving. The profits I've made through my goats and sheep afford me the opportunity to secure 20 hectares of land. Our youth must know that farming is the only way out of poverty," he added.
He also encouraged the government to make land accessible to young black farmers.
Young farmer celebrates 40 hectare land investment
Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported a young farmer with the Twitter handle, @new_shana recently headed to the popular app to share a heartwarming celebration post after he invested in 40 hectares of farming land - something he said he used blood, sweat, and tears to do.
In the highly inspirational and motivational post, the young man also explains that he is now working overtime to find people to invest in the property and this has definitely not been something easy to do.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.