International feedlot market in the pipeline

MANZINI – The Executive members of COMFWB Feedlot Programme are in the final stages of acquiring a feedlot market in South Africa and Mozambique.

The executive committee consists of Seven women who were elected to oversee the feedlot programme which was launched by the COMFWB.

COMFWB is the new name of The Federation of National Associations of Women in Business in Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM).

The women who were elected will oversee the challenges and expectation that agri-business women involved in feedlots may have.

The feedlot programme does not have a name yet; it will be decided by the new executive members who were elected last year.

The elected members have to decide whether they will register the programme as an association or a co-operative.

REVEALED

This was revealed by COMFWB Chairperson and Manzini South Member of Parliament Thandi Nxumalo during the feedlot workshop at The George Hotel.

Nxumalo said the feedlot has to be solely for women and it is important that all women join the as they have a mandate to empower women. She said the COMESA is their body and they will join as COMFWB Eswatini feedloters.

“We need to form this feedlot programme so that other bodies like COMESA can be able to recognise and assist us more,” she said.

FUNDING

The legislator also mentioned that the programme is important in the funding of businesses associated and run by women.

She said COMFWB is planning to grow, which is only possible if more women would join and participate in its affairs.

Phetsile Sithole, a Bachelor of

Commerce graduate from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) who also worked for UNESWA administration for four years and currently, she is feedlot farmer with over 70 cattle, 50 pigs, was elected as the chairperson.

Speaking to this publication, Sithole said she has experienced a lot of challenges in this form of business, including theft.

She said in the 2010s, one of her businesses was attacked by thieves and she was forced to shut it down.

“I once owned and operated a butchery, but I had to close it after it was mugged by thieves which was a setback”, she said.

Sithole also mentioned that leaving her job on concentrating on her business was not an easy task, but she managed to pull through.