Growing His Dream One Seed At A Time

A young man is changing lives and making his dreams come true and it’s all thanks to castor seeds

- Bonolo Sekudu

IT was after a trip to visit his family in Limpopo in 2013 when Thabang Mabapa (26) from Orlando West, Soweto, developed an interest in agriculture. Thabang is the founder of Selokong Sa Dimelana, a community project and business that grows castor seeds and turns them into biodiesel, which he sells to mines and farms. The project is primarily in the agricultural sector, but plays a significant role in a number of industries including energy, medicine and cosmetics, as some of his clients are from those industries.

HIS JOURNEY

Born in Soweto, Thabang is a township boy at heart, but his interests led him to Ha-Muila Village in Venda, Limpopo. After his visit, the four-hour trip back to Soweto gave him a chance to reflect on what he had witnessed.

“In 2013, I went to Ha-Muila to visit my family but what I saw and experienced left me with a lot of questions. I realised that the people there had rich agricultural and cultural knowledge but lived in poverty,” he says.

WHAT IS YOURS WILL FIND YOU

In the same year, Thabang was volunteering at a local church during a clean-up campaign and it was there that he came across castor beans.

“While cleaning up, my friend gave me what looked like a capsule. Instead of throwing it away, something told me to put it in my bag. When I got home, I crushed the capsule and found seeds inside,” says Thabang.

He was fascinated by the discovery and wanted to know what the seeds were. “I did a lot of research on the beans and even went as far as approaching a Wits chemical engineering lecturer, Dr Diakanua Nkazi, who has been a great mentor throughout my journey,” he says.