Young pioneer isn’t afraid to work
HAZYVIEW - The Giba Communal Property Association (CPA) in town was awarded more than 2 700 hectares of land by the government in 2014. It has since roped in the services of the youth in the community, with 33-year-old Bhekumuzi Sibiya as the youngest member.
Sibiya hails from Mbombela and after completing matric, was persuaded by his father to join the CPA.
Sibiya said, “Our family are beneficiaries of the Giba CPA. My father used to attend its meetings alone, and after returning from one about nine years ago, he encouraged me to join.”
His work centres mainly around maintaining safety and security on the land, and he is assisted in this by three other youngsters with whom he also works in the fields. To date,
For Sibiya, agriculture and geography always held an interest while he was still at school and he could not turn down the opportunity after his father approached him with the idea of joining the CPA
approximately 1 540 hectares of land have been transferred to the CPA, with the remaining 1 166 still to be transferred by the state.
The enterprising youth also owns a security company and jumped at the opportunity when approached by the association to handle security, expecially during harvest time.
For Sibiya, agriculture and geography always held an interest while he was still at school and he could not turn down the opportunity after his father approached him with the idea of joining the CPA.
As a result of this decision, he has received more exposure to the sector and intends on broadening his knowledge.
“Through various government workshops for members, I’ve learned a number of skills, such as how to work with a diverse group of people and developing general engagement skills, as well as remaining humble and respectful to others. I have a good view of the overall running of a farm. If, for example I have 20 hectares, I know which doors to knock on and how to get started when I want to work the land. I can effectively plan for it with a medium- to long-term view,” said Sibiya.
He views partnerships with the private sector as fundamental to land reform in order to learn what drives investors.
“These partnerships are beneficial to communities. We have our differences, we disagree on some issues, we debate others, but we manage to find solutions. Through these partnerships, communities benefit from much-needed investments to enable our land to make money for us.
“I have learned how to draw up a year plan, for example. I now know how to negotiate a deal with potential investors and what to do before signing anything with any potential investors. It has been an eye-opening experience. These are some valuable lessons that come through involvement with investors and partners.”
According to Sibiya, the absence of young people in the agricultural sector is a result of the perception that only the uneducated are involved.
“When I speak to many people, especially my peers, they ask me how things are going at the farm and if it is worth it. My response never changes - I tell them it undoubtedly is. I have also found that the other challenge is that there is some sense of entitlement among the youth and lack of patience to wait for things. They want things to happen fast and automatically without much of an effort - forgetting that easy come is easy go. Farming is about patience and effort, and there are no automatic ways or shortcuts to get to the harvest,” he added.
Working alongside the older members of the CPA has not been without its challenges for Sibiya, who admitted that there are differences in opinions which have led to robust discussions, but he agreed that combining the two schools of thought has had positive outcomes thus far.
For now, the young pioneer’s goal remains to get more youth involved in farming and to sharpen his knowledge on the import and export aspect of farming.