WHEN a 43-year-old North West man was arrested for armed robbery and served eight years in prison he thought his dream of becoming a successful businessman had ended.
But yesterday Simon Magapong' s dream was realised when a delegation of 10 South Sudanese on a fact-finding tour visited his project to learn more about how he breeds pigs.
A father of three, Magapong started a pig farming project in 2005, a year after he was released from prison.
He says he had studied for and acquired matric and animal husbandry certificates while in prison. He tried to get a job when he was released , but could because of his past.
Magapong then started holding workshops around Lotlhakane village, near Mahikeng - where he had grown up - and taught people how to breed pigs and start their own businesses.
With several other residents Magapong formed a cooperative that led to the pig project, which resulted in business with several abattoirs aroound North West.
The project also grows vegetables on a small scale and these are donated to poor and sick families around the village.
The Lotlhakane Primary Agricultural Cooperative, which Mogapong helped launch, is an income-generating project and the main activity of this venture is pig farming.
The project breeds landrace and Duroc pigs.
Magapong says their pigs are top of the range and the quality of the meat is of a very high standard.
"We have a healthy medical programme and a feeding programme and our pigs have more meat than fat, so people prefer to buy from us because of the quality of the meat that we produce," Magapong says proudly.
The South Sudan delegation wants to learn everything about managing such a project and also how best to develop agricultural land.
The delegation is also focused on how to reduce the high rate of unemployment and poverty and the social and economic effect of HIV-Aids in their country.
Magapong told the Sudanese that after searching for employment for a long time, he decided to create work for himself and the many other unemployed people in his community.
Head of the delegation from South Sudan, Gatwech Lam Puoch, says they will use the knowledge they have acquired to alleviate poverty in their country and to create employment for the people, especially the youth and women.
He says South Sudan is rich in oil and has good agricultural land.
As part of the tour the Sudenese delegation was expected to visit several other unique projects in Bodibe village in the Ngaka Modiri Molema and Bojanala distrtict municipalities later yesterday. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
From prisoner to thriving pig farmer
WHEN a 43-year-old North West man was arrested for armed robbery and served eight years in prison he thought his dream of becoming a successful businessman had ended.
But yesterday Simon Magapong' s dream was realised when a delegation of 10 South Sudanese on a fact-finding tour visited his project to learn more about how he breeds pigs.
A father of three, Magapong started a pig farming project in 2005, a year after he was released from prison.
He says he had studied for and acquired matric and animal husbandry certificates while in prison. He tried to get a job when he was released , but could because of his past.
Magapong then started holding workshops around Lotlhakane village, near Mahikeng - where he had grown up - and taught people how to breed pigs and start their own businesses.
With several other residents Magapong formed a cooperative that led to the pig project, which resulted in business with several abattoirs aroound North West.
The project also grows vegetables on a small scale and these are donated to poor and sick families around the village.
The Lotlhakane Primary Agricultural Cooperative, which Mogapong helped launch, is an income-generating project and the main activity of this venture is pig farming.
The project breeds landrace and Duroc pigs.
Magapong says their pigs are top of the range and the quality of the meat is of a very high standard.
"We have a healthy medical programme and a feeding programme and our pigs have more meat than fat, so people prefer to buy from us because of the quality of the meat that we produce," Magapong says proudly.
The South Sudan delegation wants to learn everything about managing such a project and also how best to develop agricultural land.
The delegation is also focused on how to reduce the high rate of unemployment and poverty and the social and economic effect of HIV-Aids in their country.
Magapong told the Sudanese that after searching for employment for a long time, he decided to create work for himself and the many other unemployed people in his community.
Head of the delegation from South Sudan, Gatwech Lam Puoch, says they will use the knowledge they have acquired to alleviate poverty in their country and to create employment for the people, especially the youth and women.
He says South Sudan is rich in oil and has good agricultural land.
As part of the tour the Sudenese delegation was expected to visit several other unique projects in Bodibe village in the Ngaka Modiri Molema and Bojanala distrtict municipalities later yesterday. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
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