By Lloyd Phillips
South Africa’s farming community has lost an award-winning innovator after Pieter Louwrens from the Reitz district died in a car accident earlier this month.
The young family and parents of Pieter “Pietman” Louwrens (34) and the broader farming community of the Free State’s Reitz district are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic death of this popular and innovative farmer on Friday, 17 January.
One of the local farmers, who was first on the accident scene and spoke anonymously with African Farming’s sister publication, Landbou.com, says only Louwrens and his Jack Russell terrier were in the vehicle when it left the road. The dog survived. It is not yet known what caused the single-vehicle accident.
“It was terrible to be first on the scene and then have to tell Pieter’s wife and his parents that he had passed away.”
Danie Slabbert, a farmer in the Reitz community, says Louwrens had a sparkling, friendly and sociable personality that made him popular among his fellow farmers. He says everyone is devastated by his death.
“Pieter was a good farmer and was also known for how skilled he was with his hands in construction, mechanics and welding. He thought innovatively. This greatly helped him on his family’s Drakensberger beef cattle, maize and soybean farm about 25 kilometres from Reitz on the Kestel road.”
Louwrens was so good with his hands that he won Landbouweekblad, Grain SA and Omnia’s coveted Farmer Plans competition at the 2023 Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville. His winning entry was a wire-tensioning machine pulled by a tractor.
He liked the idea that his plan also helped other farmers. In an interview last year with Landbouweekblad, he said: “I was approached to patent my wire tensioner so that nobody would steal my plan, but I’m not interested. If someone else wants to build one, here it is: measure it and use it. It doesn’t bother me because we help each other.”
Louwrens is survived by his wife, Bianca, sons PG (6) and Altus (1), his parents, Pieter and Hester, and his brother, Martin. They all live on the family farm, Bronfontein.
Pieter’s winning Farmer Plan featured in the Summer 2023 edition of African Farming magazine*.
* You can order the previous issues of African Farming magazine here.
