08 November 2023
By: Joy January
“Hard work and perseverance are the winning recipe for entering the agricultural sector successfully.”
So said Vivian (Joggel) Jakobs, a farm worker from Witzenberg, after he was named Western Cape Prestige Agri Worker of the Year at a glamorous event in Stellenbosch.
This annual provincial agriculture department event, with Shoprite as the main sponsor, aims to recognise the contribution farm workers make to the sustainability and growth of the Western Cape agricultural sector.
A total of 1 767 agricultural workers from 15 regions took part in the competition. Regional winners in each category progressed to the provincial final.
Regional winners are: Lekgotla Mabombo (Berg River); Bernard Louw (Breede Valley); Tashwill Toto (Central Karoo); Lance du Toit (Elgin, Grabouw, Vyeboom and Villiersdorp); Simon Zeeman (Franschhoek); Ntombifuthi Mphetshwa (Garden Route); Thomas Oosthuizen (Little Karoo); Mabonele Molefi (Hex River Valley); Jacobus Fredericks (Langeberg); Hermiena Hendricks (Piket-Bo-Berg); Priscilla Hektor (Olifants River); Dirk Joubert (Overberg); Ronald Jordaan (Stellenbosch); Marlon Coert (Swartland); and Vivian Jakobs (Witzenberg).
Stephen Satira from the Breede Valley region was recognised as the agricultural worker with the best potential. Franschhoek was named the best-performing region.
Jakobs, who also clinched the middle management award, said: “This competition has been an outstanding journey for me. For all the farmers, agricultural workers and representatives from the various regions, we are one. Our main goal is to ensure that the man on the street gets the best possible products on their table. We must ensure that there is food today, tomorrow and in the days to come. Let’s make every effort to ensure it.”
Jakobs encouraged young people to enter agriculture. “It’s definitely a career to pursue, but don’t think you’ll have an easy job. It’s hard work but it’s all worth it.”
‘Heart for people’
Jakobs enrolled in his first agricultural training course at the Koue Bokkeveld Training Centre in 2000. “He has a heart for farming, but that day I saw he has a heart for people, and we know a farmer cannot do without people. That’s what stood out for me about Joggel,” said Edna Ngrini from the centre.
According to Jakobs, two people played a significant role in his life: Jacques Visser, a manager at Dutoit Agri, and his wife, Ilze. Jacques hired Jakobs as a farm worker in 2000, and he was promoted to manager in 2003. “Joggel is a person who is firm. He is strict but also fair. He is also very beloved in the community,” said Jacques.
Role of agriculture
Ivan Meyer, the Western Cape agriculture MEC, said at the event that the Prestige Agri Awards showcases the excellent work of the agricultural sector, recognises its workers and encourages them to acquire new skills.
He said agriculture play an important role in the Western Cape economy, with almost one in six workers in the province employed in the sector. “I consider this competition important because it provides proper recognition to the hardworking agricultural workers supporting the sector’s growth,” he said. “Therefore, an investment in agricultural workers is an investment in the future of farming.”
Pieter van Zyl, chief procurement officer at Shoprite, said agricultural workers ensure supermarket shelves are filled with food every day. “We are also very grateful for the opportunity to give back to the agricultural community that has supported us over the years,” he said.
“We are all involved in the agricultural workers’ competition for the love and passion for agriculture, because we all play a cardinal role in food security – not only in the Western Cape but in the whole of South Africa.”
Wimpie Paulse, chairperson of the Western Cape Prestige Agri Workers Forum and the 2012 Agri Worker of the Year, said: “I am passionate about farmworkers and the entire agricultural sector, and this celebration of their achievements leaves me with a strong sense of gratitude.”
