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August 2025
BOY ZAKEW NZIMANDE (56), ONE OF THE 2025 NOMINEES IN THE POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL FARMER OF THE YEAR CATEGORY OF GRAIN SA’S FARMER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION, BELIEVES THAT FARMING IS BUILT ON FIVE PILLARS: SOIL, KNOWLEDGE, LABOUR, CAPITAL AND MARKETS.
This passionate farmer followed in his father’s footsteps and became a farm worker at the same farm in the Piet Retief area where his father worked. When he exchanged rural life for city life, he worked in Johannesburg across several industries, including mining and health and safety. He later opened his own business, Nzimande Hygiene Maintenance Services. During these years, he also farmed on a part-time basis with cattle and crops.
When the livestock side of his farming operation began to grow and more food was needed, he decided to walk away from the business to be a hands-on farmer. Farming became his priority. He planted more and also increased his livestock.
Boy currently plants yellow and white maize on 80 ha of his 838 ha farm, Sterkfontein, in Mpumalanga. His target is to increase production from 200 t to 250 t, which he is currently realising, to 350 t and more. His livestock component consists of Nguni and Brahman cattle, which are sold at auctions. He also breeds goats and broilers, which are sold in the local community.
In the previous season, the variable climatic conditions subjected some of Boy’s fields to waterlogging and leaching of nutrients. Another challenge he often faces, is the problems arising from the surrounding communal areas. These include crop theft and the invasion of stray livestock, with subsequent damage to his crops. However, none of these challenges will deter him from his goal of contributing to fighting poverty and hunger in the country by promoting food security. ‘I won’t give up, because farming controls stomachs!’ he says.
WHO CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SUCCESS?
The Phahama Grain Phakama (PGP) team has helped me grow as a farmer since 2017 through study group sessions, training courses and farm visits. If I am unsure of what to do, the team is just a phone call away.
DO YOU BELONG TO A STUDY GROUP?
I am the chairperson of the Amsterdam Study Group, where I am responsible for providing fellow study group members with information about general agricultural practices. I also need to ensure they have all the information regarding the meetings and events within the Farmer Development Programme.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE EXPECTATIONS?
I want to expand the current area under production, but my big dream is to have my farm fully operational as a family business. My wife, Bawinile Ntombenhle Sukazi, is my right hand on the farm. She can drive a tractor and even helps with the planting. I really hope to involve some or all of my five children in the farming business. One of my sons is studying farm management, which is a step in the right direction, and my daughter has also started her agricultural studies.
CONSIDER BOY’S ADVICE IF YOU WANT TO FARM:
Farm: Sterkfontein
Nearest town: Amersfoort
Region: Mpumalanga
Size: 838 ha – plants 80 ha
Type of farming operation: Mixed – crops (white and yellow maize), livestock (Nguni and Brahman cattle and goats) and broilers
PGP'S CONTRIBUTION
Training courses completed:
He has completed several courses, including:
A mentor’s view:
Graeme Engelbrecht, regional development manager at PGP’s Dundee office, says Boy has persevered through several challenges and has grown to be a hands-on, problem-solving farmer. ‘His diversified operations enable him to sustain his livelihoods and these of his employees through crop off-seasons.’
Publication: August 2025
Section: Pula/Imvula
