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GETTING HER HANDS DIRTY: Farmer Wendy Tsotetsi of the Inkululeko Agricultural Cooperative. PHOTO: Vathiswa Ruselo

 As long as one stays focused on your goals, success will come 

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Wendy Tsotetsi, 34, started a farm, including a piggery, in De Deur south of Johannesburg in 2006 and also initiated several sustainable food garden schemes at schools and in communities in nearby Evaton East and Vanderbijlpark.

Between August and March - when there is a lot of work - one of her community development initiatives, Inkululeko Agricultural Cooperative, employs up to 100 people, who plough, irrigate and nurture the garden and harvest the vegetables, which include onions, carrots, cabbages, spinach and beetroot.

The produce from her farm is mainly sold at the Vereeniging market to informal traders.

"People should do what they love and love what they do," Tsotetsi says.

"As long as one stays focused on your goals, success will come.

"I still want to spread my wings. But for now I have space constraints and I am renting the land."

She has helped six schools in Evaton West to start and maintain food gardens.

Tsotetsi has also helped numerous families to start gardens in their backyards and also uses open spaces as communal food gardens.

"Seeing someone's life get better - and their appreciation - is what motivates me," she says, referring to her community work.

"My passion is also youth upliftment, especially if like me young people do not get a chance to go to university."

She won first prize in the National Youth Development Agency's SA Youth Award in the environmental category.

- moengk@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Fri May 24 00:02:32 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 27, 2012

Booster

AWWEEESOME~!!! Now that's the kind of citizen I am talking about!! Put this woman in charge of redistributing land in stead of the current useless bunch in government. Sitting on land and pretending they are doing something about uplifting black people. The stats and figures are alarming of what has been appropriated vs. what has been handed out and developed. You go, Wendy!!
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Sep 27, 2012

Mdeeva

Bigup sista push the movement. great job, we should take exanple from this activist
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Sep 27, 2012

cornelius

Superwoman indeed.Bravo Ms Tsotstetsi
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Sep 27, 2012

Mokaubere

Thank you Wendy and keep it up. Unlike some restituted farms in the Vaal like Kudung, which are still lying idle 5 years after being given back to the community because their so-called committees are fighting for positions and funds. If Wendy's piece of land could create 100 jobs imagine how many jobs could be created in Kudung if it was well functioning.
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Sep 27, 2012

eGolibamqedengaphambili7

Big up sister you are an inspiration indeed.
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Sep 27, 2012

bytheway1

Give her some land, because she deserves it. Well done, you are not like most others sitting around thinking that stuff grows on it's own. A farmer should read this article and help her to get land. I know of a farmer that assisted one of his workers this way. Obviously the latter was never published.
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Sep 27, 2012

Pointman

The NYDA gave her an award! How much did the party cost and who got the tender. Anyway well done sister - you are one of those who do - not just talk.
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Sep 27, 2012

Sipho2001

at least she is doing something positive. Dont really know if's going to solve the future food shortages that South Africa will have but it might help a bit.
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Sep 27, 2012

Zee_R

I agree with bytheway1 - this lady has proven that she has the skills and business savvy to run an agricultural business successfully - it is people like her who truly deserve help from Government to own her own piece of land. She is contributing to the economy and is producing food for various projects. In this case I have no problem with Government assisting. My issue is when Government buy producing farms, gives them to people with no knowledge, and the farmland ends up fallow, with all equipment/machinery either broken or stolen. People need to realise the serious consequences of messing with our food supply.
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Sep 27, 2012

WarrenG

This woman is doing very good work. More communities should have food gardens. It takes some work but it's so worth it. Free food. I want to see more of this around SA. Growing avocado trees, so easy, so much fruit!!!
But I guess the gardens would get robbed often.
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