Helping to grow the nation
NCE thriving vegetable and fruit farms in Cottonlands near Ndwedwe on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast have made way for rows of low-cost homes.
But instead of packing up and relocating, 87-year-old Kowsilla Sookdeo, a former vegetable farmer, is staying put.
Over the decades the octogenarian has done her bit to promote nation-building with her African neighbours.
The great- grandmother, who was born in Emona, oThongathi (Tongaat), may not have had any formal school education, but she is fluent in English, Zulu and Hindi.
She told POST in an interview that she had agreed to part with a major portion of her farm because the Ilembe Municipality needed it for lowcost homes.
Sookdeo said the municipality had agreed that she and her family would continue to live in the six-bedroom home on the 16-acre property which she, her husband and eight children (of which five have passed away) helped to build over five decades ago.
With her eyesight still in good condition and her hearing as sharp as ever, the grandmother, who is commonly referred to as uGogo by the local children, teenagers and adults, said she had reduced her farming operations drastically in the past 20 years.
Stricken with illness since having a stroke, and using a walking aid, Sookdeo said she hardly does any farming these days.
“There are cows and goats roaming on the farm but I decided to keep the peace and refrained from confronting the owners.
“I used to plant calabash, kerala, tomatoes, ghadra beans, mealies and other vegetables in the good old days,” she recalled.
Asked about her views of the high costs and quality of vegetables and fruit these days, largely because of the drought, Sookdeo was quick to answer.
“The quality is not the same compared to the days when I farmed vegetables. The prices of vegetables and fruits are very high.”
She said she also used to plant white and yellow rice in Emona.
“Farming was more than just a way of life. It helped my mom, Rajwanthie, to live until she was 116.”
Apart from playing a role in nation-building, Sookdeo and her family are also making a difference in the education field.
They sold a portion of the vast tract of land they own to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, which built the Cottonlands Primary School there. It now has more than 1 000 pupils.
“I did not have the opportunity to attend school myself, but I am glad that children are attending classes at the Cottonlands Primary School,” Sookdeo said. “Education is the key to success.”
She heaped praises on son, Balram, a lawyer in Gauteng, and his wife, Jaishree, for not buckling under pressure from influential and wealthy individuals who had wanted to buy the farm for a pittance.
“There is more to life than just making money.”
Her other living children are Heramonie and Shintamonie.