Woman Who Started Farm With Parents' R380K Pension Fund Now Has R2.5M Grant to Grow Poultry Business
- Lungile Mkhize is a female farmer who started her agriculture business shortly before the pandemic struck
- In 2021, Mkhize was awarded funding to the value of R2.5 million to grow her poultry farm over the next three years
- She overcame several obstacles to succeed, including the theft of important farming equipment that halted production for almost six months
- Her inspiring success story and resilience in the face of adversity is why Lungile Mkhize was named one of the Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder
A saying goes, “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Lungile Mkhize is the living embodiment of this sentiment.
Source: UGC
The inspiring entrepreneur knew she wanted to venture into agriculture when she was just 14 years old. With hard work and a leap of faith, Mkhize realised her dreams.
The 29-year-old's inspiring story landed her a spot on the Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder list. She spoke exclusively to Briefly News about the struggles she had to overcome to build a thriving poultry farm during a global pandemic.
Lungile Mkhize lands multi-million-rand fund to help grow her farm
Mkhize doesn't have a goose that lays golden eggs like in fairytales.
According to The Sowetan, she has over 900 layers that produce more than 2 000 eggs a day. The young farmer also has over 2 000 broiler chickens.
The publication reported Mkhize was able to start her business venture in 2019 with the help of her parents' pension fund. And then the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Many companies closed their doors during this time, but Mkhize had one thing going for her: the agriculture sector was labelled an essential service and was allowed to operate during the hard lockdown.
Mkhize continued to hustle during this time and decided to take a chance and apply for the Mpumalanga Youth Development Fund (MYDF). She was named a beneficiary and given a grant worth R2.5 million.
Take a look at a video the Mpumalanga Provincial Government shared of Mkhize explaining how the MYDF grant helped her business below:
Mkhize nearly loses everything after a robbery, but her faith keeps her standing
In 2021, disaster struck when a group of thuggish men ransacked her farm, stealing valuable and necessary equipment.
"It set me back completely and destroyed my production for six months before I could recover.
"I felt so numb when I discovered what had happened. I went into complete shock, and I was seven months pregnant at that time."
Mkhize decided to put her faith in God, and after several devastating months, she could resume operations.
The 29-year-old overcame these trying times because of her inspiring mother. Mkhize said her mom, Nomkhosi Mahlangu, is a nurse who is met with resistance daily, yet she forges on.
"She always comes home with a story of how she gave someone advice that would change their lives or how she prayed and the sick got healed," Mkhize said.
The hardworking poultry farmer, who owns Lungile Poultry Farm, also credited her mother for keeping her on the right path. Mkhize said she grew up in a farming community and knew since her teen years that she wanted to become a farmer.
When Mkhize almost took another path, her mother reminded her that farming was her true love.
Source: UGC
Mkhize believes education is important and shares what qualities a modern South African woman should have
Mkhize decided to arm herself with the necessary knowledge before starting her business.
She obtained a diploma in agricultural science from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology before working at an established poultry farm to learn the dos and don'ts of farming, GCIS's Vuk'Uzenzele reported.
Mkhize believes that knowledge is power and that young South African women should focus on obtaining matric before starting families.
She added that women in Mzansi should be cautious and protect themselves.
While it is important for a lady to be confident, Mkhize believes they must love everyone.
But, above anything else, a modern woman in South Africa should be strong in her faith and pray during difficult times.
Lungile Mkhize credits much of her success to Ofentse Moloko
Sometimes, a person only needs someone who believes in them. Mkhize's big break came when fellow poultry farmer Ofentse Moloko gave her a contract to supply his company with eggs.
At the time, Mkhize didn't even have a piece of land to farm. Mkhize saw first-hand how Mr Moloko grew his business into a multi-million-rand enterprise, and the experience contributed to her own success.
Mkhize believes the SA government wants to help female startup companies in the agriculture industry
The 29-year-old spilt the tea on how other young women can break into farming.
Mkhize believes utilising the resources made available by the government could help any aspiring farmer start her company.
"The South Africa government is in support of young women building agriculture business, and funding and training is available."
Mkhize stressed that money should not be why someone goes into agriculture.
"It takes hard work, money and time. Don’t do it for the money, because that takes long to accumulate, but (do it) for the understanding that food is a scarcity in our country.
"We need to produce more so that no one goes hungry because there’s a shortage of food or the cost is too high," she told Briefly News.
Mkhize wants to produce 20 times more eggs by 2024
Nothing can stand in this young lady's way to reach her goals, and The Sowetan reported Mkhize is aiming to produce a whopping 40 000 eggs within the next two years.
However, financial gain and an increase in production are not Mkhize's only goals: she wants to create employment.
The young entrepreneur wants to grow her staff from three to eight people and employ 10 seasonal workers.
Watch this space, fam; Mkhize is only getting started!
Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder aims to inspire women
Briefly News wants to celebrate the female changemakers of 2022 by honouring a few influential, inspiring women. The team looked for women who made a success despite some tough challenges they faced in their respective sectors.
Our goal is to create inspirational content that shows our audience what the embodiment of a resilient and strong South A woman is.
Briefly News hopes to motivate other women to go beyond their limits.
If you want to participate in our next special project or want to be featured in one of Briefly News' women empowerment articles, please email contact@briefly.co.za with Women Empowerment in the subject line.
Thokozile Nhlumayo is changing political system for youth
Briefly News previously reported on another inspiring woman. Thokozile Nhlumayo is a political activist determined to break barriers in South Africa and the world. She is a member of the International Youth Parliament and the creator.
While pursuing a role in public office, Thokozile was told that men over 50 were more likely to succeed. However, Nhlumayo was not one to succumb to the challenges she met and decided to be the much-needed change.
After serving as a political activist for numerous years, Thokozile Nhlumayo set her sights on public office and channelled her strengths in her new venture.
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Source: Briefly News
