By Mfanufikile Khathwane (Intern)
LUVE – Sakhile Mavuso is a young man from Luve at Sincuduma, who is not your ordinary graduate. He completed his Psychology degree from Christian Medical University in 2019, but today he is mostly known in his community as a dedicated farmer.
Sakhile grows vegetables, beans, and maize on his farm. He also keeps goats, but at the moment, his focus is on vegetables. Farming is not new to him—he grew up In a family that farmed, and it has always been a big part of his life.
However, farming is not always easy. Sakhile faces many challenges, especially due to climate change. Sometimes, there is too much rain or strong hailstorms that destroy his crops. He also struggles to find good markets to sell his produce, as many big buyers prefer large-scale farmers.
For now, his customers are local people, especially women who sell vegetables in street markets. But Sakhile has big dreams. He hopes to one day supply shops like Shoprite, Spar, Boxer, and Nambord.
What makes Sakhile stand out is his business mindset. He keeps detailed records of his farming activities so he can track his spending and see if he is making a profit. This helps him plan better for the future.
Even though he studied psychology, Sakhile says he will never stop farming. “It’s in my blood,” he says proudly. Farming helped him a lot during his university days. He didn’t rely only on his allowance—he even joked that he would wait for other students to finish theirs before using his farming income.
Looking ahead, Sakhile plans to start a nursery to grow his own seedlings. He has already started selling dragon fruit seedlings, which shows he is serious about growing his business.
Sakhile Mavuso is proof that young people can succeed in farming with passion, planning, and hard work.
