MR Kuzolunga Ncube Mabuza, a champion farmer in the arid lands of Makorokoro area in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South Provinces, is among the few pacesetters that have seized the business opportunities under the Second Republic’s rural development and industrialisation drive.
With a farm that boasts of livestock production, a massive
solar-powered borehole that provides his farm with endless supplies of water,
an orchard with various plants and exotic fruit trees, Mr Mabuza seeks to
become the first self-made integrated model farmer in Makorokoro.
A Diaspora returnee, Mr Mabuza was born into a family of
farmers in Makorokoro 45 years ago, but after turning 16, he crossed to South
Africa in search of employment.
While there he made ends meet by working at a farm before
shifting to work at a gas company and then later established his own firm,
Shesha Gas.
“My family has always been into farming. My father was a
renowned farmer in this area and beyond. He always told us that the only key to
becoming successful was in the land and farming is the only way,” said Mr
Mabuza.
“He was so passionate about farming that he would make sure
that every day after school we would go to the fields and assist with farm
work.
“There we learnt a lot and to this day all he taught me is
yielding success.”
Mr Mabuza said while in South Africa he would practice
cellphone farming where he would entrust someone to watch over his farm and
livestock. However, he realised that this was not effective, and instead of
generating income, it was biting into his savings.
With the rift in tides of foreign lands, Mr Mabuza decided
to return home and become a full-time farmer in a rural setup.
“I am not your ordinary type of farmer and I don’t want to
be identified as one. I am extraordinary and have a vision I want this
community to benefit from,” he told Chronicle at his farm.
“Our area is known for being dry and less productive in
crop generation. For that reason I adopted a blueprint entrusted to us by our
President (Mnangagwa) who launched a project here to better the lives of
villagers in this area through the horticulture scheme that saw many
benefitting from,” said Mr Mabuza.
He said he decided to develop his own farm in the same
image as that of the Makorokoro Presidential horticulture project, although
with a few improvements.
“I want this farm to be fully functional and produce all
types of crops, animals and plants. Already, as it is I have procured Boer
goats for a goat project, I also practice dairy farming, and I have an orchard,
ducks, chickens and exotic birds,” said Mr Mabuza.
“My aim is to ensure that the people of my community don’t
starve. When I started this project I started with fresh produce, which was and
is in demand here. People have to travel long distances to buy crops such as
carrots, butternut, cabbages and tomatoes but with this, I seek to make that a
thing of the past,” he said.
Mr Mabuza said he wants to provide endless possibilities to
the people of Makorokoro and is already working towards constructing a new dam
in the area to harvest water.
“Water is a serious problem here, people lose livestock and
cannot farm because of this. I am in the process of raising funds to construct
a dam that will assist the community,” said Mr Mabuza.
He said he was keen to empower the youth, many of whom
include young men and women who have either travelled abroad or seen a world of
endless opportunities or those who have been possessed by the development
spirit, which saw the re-election of President Mnangagwa.
“When you engage with each of these young men and women, it
is this man’s vision that each of them speaks of as a source of inspiration,”
said Mr Mabuza.
He said life across the borders is not all rosy as many
believe it is and urged young people to return home and practice farming, which
is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy.
“We can all play a role in ushering Zimbabwe into a
middle-income economy by the year 2030. I have been back for two years now and
the results are there for everyone to see,” said Mr Mabuza.
“When President Mnangagwa came to Jinjika to launch the
project, I was there and I loved the project. I never believed that cabbages
could be grown on this arid land. I copied what I saw at the President’s launch
and its working, this is not the end.
“I don’t want people to go hungry, which is why I want to
expand the place to provide food for the community. No matter where you are,
take farming into consideration. If you have the land, use it to feed the
nation.”
Mr Mabuza says he wants to be an inspiration to many and
take advantage of the land and available natural resources to create jobs for
many.
“The next time you are here, you will find a fully
functional grinding mill and a food processing plant,” he said.
Mr Mabuza employs six workers and wants to double the
figure when he completes the installation of his grinding mill and gets power
connectivity.
“My solar power plant doesn’t generate enough to pump water
as well as do other projects. This is where I would like the Government to
intervene,” he said.
“I urge young people to remain focused because our
Government is trying its best. What people do not realise is that for business
to grow, there must be enabling policies.
“For us, we have the human capital, the land, water and an
enabling policy. You will never realise what you can do until you have done it.
So it’s doable.” Chronicle
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