“Communal farming is a struggle, says Zolani Tsheko. “You are dependent on others, and therefore, you can drown with them.”
Tsheko, an educator by training, has been a part-time livestock farmer since 1980 and a full-time farmer since retiring as an accomplished principal in 2015.
“I am trying to apply commercial farming methods as best as I can under challenging communal circumstances. It is very challenging,” he says about his approach to running his 178 Merino sheep and seven cattle in Thornhill near Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Tsheko was born in the former Transkei region of the Eastern Cape near the town of Herschel. The first born of seven children, he primarily recalls a life of grinding poverty.
“We had nothing,” he says. “My mother raised some chickens, and my father grew up herding livestock for other people.” Nevertheless, his father was hard-working, taking on various jobs as a farmworker, road construction worker, fencer, and shearer during his life.
Tsheko completed primary school, but faced a dilemma: he did not have enough money to pay the school fees needed to matriculate. Consequently, he signed up to work in the platinum mines of Rustenburg, North West, for a year to earn the necessary funds to matriculate.
Immediately after school, he took on a job as an unqualified teacher near Herschel. However, in 1976, the family was relocated by the Nationalist government to Thornhill in the former Ciskei, and in 1978, Tsheko enrolled at Whittlesea Teachers Training College.
This story is from the October 20, 2023 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 20, 2023 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Review: the Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 DC 4×4 GR-Sport III
The third iteration of the Hilux GR-Sport has finally achieved a sense of presence and style befitting its raceinspired branding. But is this the ultimate modern Hilux? Car Magazine takes a closer look.
Why maize prices soar in Kenya and Malawi but not Tanzania
Namhla Landani, an economist at the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, University of Johannesburg, and Arthur Khomotso Mahuma, economist and researcher at the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, University of Johannesburg, analyse the issue.
Wet carcass syndrome: a scourge in SA sheep farming
Wet carcass syndrome continues to take a huge financial toll on South African sheep farmers. Octavia Avesca Spandiel spoke to two experts about the ongoing genetic research aimed at addressing this issue.
Pollination innovation
Bee-Tech Group is transforming South African agriculture with pollination technologies that boost crop yields and enhance sustainability. Founder Michiel Bruggeman spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel.
The valuable addition that makes this farm tick
Owning the value chain provides farmers with far more control over their produce. However, it requires a fine balance between production and ensuring there is a strong and steady market. Lindi Botha visited Rosemary Hill to find out how this essential oil producer leverages hospitality to make the farm viable.
The benefits of recirculating aquaculture systems
A powerful set of attributes has established recirculating aquaculture systems as a cornerstone of global temperate fish farming, writes Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions.
Minister has big plans for emerging and commercial farmers
DA leader and Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his priorities for his department over the next five years, including an increased focus on biosecurity.
New study aims to make wheat more disease resistant
A recent international study explains how bread wheat has helped to transform the ancient world on its path to becoming the iconic crop that today helps sustain a global population of eight billion.
Conservation farming and biodiversity boost soil health and sustainability
A recent academic event focused on research into the links between soil biodiversity, soil health and sustainable agriculture
What has led to the unparalleled rice shortage in Japan?
Japan is facing a rice shortage amid concerns about a potential 'megaquake', several typhoons and an annual week-long holiday, which has led to an increase in panic buying.