In Sepedi, there is a saying: “Rutang bana ditaola le se ye natšo badimong.” Loosely translated, it means “Pass down your skills and knowledge; do not go to the grave with them.” This is precisely what’s happening in veteran farmer Penyane Jerry Sefoloshe’s family. Jerry, whose weathered hands first touched the soil on Hereford irrigation scheme in Groblersdal in 1962 as a young labourer, now watches with quiet pride as his children become stewards of the land.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
Jerry, whose weathered hands first touched the soil on the Hereford irrigation scheme in Groblersdal in 1962 as a young labourer, now watches with quiet pride as his children become stewards of the land.
This is not just a story of one family’s farming journey, but a testament to how farming knowledge, cultivated over decades, can be intentionally passed on – an essential lesson for South Africa, where most black farmers are still largely first-generation.
Jerry’s bond with the land runs deeper than most. When he first worked these lands as a labourer 63 years ago, horses still pulled the ploughs and tractors were a distant dream. Now the land forms the foundation on which his children are building their futures.
In 1997, Jerry and a group of committed farmers took control of the by-then-abandoned 220-hectare irrigation scheme. What had once been a white empowerment project after World War II was vandalised and neglected. Through sheer determination and vision, these farmers revived the land. Jerry began farming on just three hectares of dry land.
“We farmed cabbages, onions and beetroot. Livestock was challenging because we lacked adequate resources.”
In 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Patricia de Lille (then Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure) handed over title deeds to the land, finally providing the security needed to access credit and plan long term. But by then, Jerry had already been laying the groundwork for something far more valuable – the next generation of farmers.
The true measure of Jerry’s success is not merely in his achievements but in how effectively he has passed on his knowledge and passion to his children. Each of his four children involved in farming embodies a different aspect of farming succession, creating a well-rounded model for others to emulate.
The Call of the Land
Matlaweng Buti Sefoloshe, the eldest son, initially sought his fortune in Gauteng’s urban jungle. However, the call of the land proved stronger than the allure of the city lights. In 2013, he returned home to farm with his father and later took charge of a leased seven-hectare plot where he now employs seven workers.
Matlaweng explains his decision to return to farming: “It didn’t sit well with me in Gauteng knowing that I had to buy cabbages while back home I used to farm it, eat it and have cash from its sales daily.” After working with his father, he decided to go independent, saying, “I realised that it’s time I stood on my own two feet, so I leased the plot I’m working on.”
He recognises the government’s support while emphasising the responsibility that comes with it: “The government has helped me with equipment and infrastructure, and the least we can do is create work for the unemployed as some kind of payback.”
Also read: Pig and goat farming: MEC Kekana urges farmers to move from survival to sustainability
He is open about the difficulties they face. “The market is sometimes a problem because we plant without having contracts with anyone … like now, I have planted 22 000 heads of cabbage and I just hope that it will somehow be bought by someone.”
He believes better market access could solve many issues. “We produce quality crops, and we wish retail shops and fresh produce markets would visit us to help guide us on their crop specifications so we could have better market access.”
He advocates for improved coordination among local farmers: “For example, all 32 plots here will plant cabbage in winter because we know it’s in demand around this time of year, so with guidance from the retailers and markets, we can plan better as Tafelkop Farmers Association and alternate these crops among ourselves. Like now, there’s a shortage of beetroot and carrot, and none of these farmers here have planted them.”
Second-eldest son Motšhatšhana reflects on his early exposure to farming: “We were still young at the time, but our father always took us with him on the farm.” His father recognised his interest and supported his education: “Realising that I was interested in farming, my father took me to Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture.” He’s grateful for this early involvement. “I appreciate what my father did by involving us in farming from a young age and I encourage other black farmers to do the same.”
Farming is in their Blood
Another positive development in Motšhatšhana’s farming journey is the involvement of his wife, Maupi, whom he has known since childhood. They share a long farming history: “Both our fathers had been farming on dry land since 1994. They used to take us with them during the harvesting of maize and watermelon on weekends, and we got paid for that.”
Maupi says their relationship grew through farming: “Our friendship developed at a young age. We spent a lot of time together. My father passed away in 1996, but when my husband’s father moved here to Hereford in 1997, he used to collect us and bring us here to help.”
In 2016, Maupi says, Jerry took a group of young farmers to Komatipoort to study farming for 18 months. “I was part of this initiative, which demonstrates my father-in-law’s commitment to empowering the next generation of farmers through practical exposure and education. The purpose was to provide us with hands-on study and training in farming practices, reflecting his belief in the importance of education and skills transfer in agriculture.”
Also read: From our editor: Rethinking farm succession beyond bloodlines
Dedication to Mentoring
This training expedition highlights Jerry’s broader role as a mentor, extending beyond his own family. As chairman of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) in Limpopo, he promotes the need for succession and skills transfer among farmers, advocating for parents to prepare their children to take over their farming operations. His dedication to training and mentoring exemplifies a strong model of succession planning and knowledge sharing, which is vital for the sustainability of farming in South Africa.
Maupi is confident about farming’s financial potential: “There’s money in farming. We managed to purchase a car in 2018, and although we rely on water from the nearby river, we have also drilled a borehole here using the profits from farming.”
Jerry’s youngest son, Lebogo, embodies the future of the farm. Under his father’s careful guidance, he has learned to operate the tractor and mastered other farm tasks, such as crop management. His presence on the farm signifies continuity – the assurance that knowledge will be passed down to future generations. Jerry hopes Lebogo will be able to stand independently soon.
Living Repository of Knowledge
Jerry’s daughter, Kwetse, brings a different but equally valuable skill set to the family enterprise. Her studies in business administration and human resources have modernised the farm’s administration.
Kwetse describes her role as handling “office administration”, but she also takes a keen interest in practical farming activities because most of the work is outside on the lands. She studied business administration, specialising in human resources management, bringing modern administrative skills to the family operation.
What distinguishes the Sefoloshe family is their systematic approach to knowledge transfer. Jerry’s exposure to international farming practices, gained through training in the USA, Europe, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, is carefully passed down to his children.
Also read: Sania Mokoena: The young daughter who saved her father’s farming legacy
His involvement with organisations like the National African Farmers’ Union (NAFU) and the Agricultural Research Council has given him a broad perspective that he now shares with his children.
“Education and training have been crucial to our success,” Jerry emphasises. “But it’s not just formal education. It’s understanding the land, the seasons, the markets and the community.”
This holistic approach to succession planning ensures that each child brings both inherited wisdom and new perspectives to the operation. They’re not merely inheriting a farm; they’re inheriting a living repository of agricultural knowledge that spans across generations.
The Sefoloshe family’s approach to succession provides valuable lessons for the broader agricultural sector. Their success stems not from a single moment of handover, but from a gradual, deliberate process of knowledge transfer that honours both tradition and innovation.
Transforming the Sector
Each child is responsible for their allocated piece of land, while also still contributing to the broader family operation. This approach fosters confidence, enhances leadership skills and ensures the farm’s sustainability regardless of individual circumstances.
President Ramaphosa’s visit to honour Jerry’s contributions recognised not just individual success, but a model that could transform the farming sector. The Sefoloshe family shows that effective succession planning can create jobs, develop skills and build sustainable agricultural enterprises. Their story resonates beyond Tafelkop, offering hope to farming families across the country who are grappling with questions of continuity and growth. It proves that agricultural succession, when done thoughtfully, can strengthen individual operations.
When it comes to government support for black farmers, Jerry recognises government backing but advises that policies should be farmer-driven and that officials overseeing agriculture need to understand what happens in the field, not just in boardrooms.
Although he encourages black farmers to work hard and not expect manna from heaven, he highlights a fundamental issue about how agricultural support is organised: “The challenge our government has is to appoint people who understand that farmer support is to actually work with farmers.”
Importance of Agriculture Leadership
Jerry says we should learn from the past. He draws comparisons with the previous system: “The previous government had the agricultural credit board (landboukredietraad) to finance fencing, dams, roads and any other inputs farmers needed.”
He lambasts the current approach: “Most of the bureaucrats we have now, simply don’t know what it takes to farm. Often officials think they know what farmers need, rather than what is actually required on the ground. The approach should be bottom-up.”
Jerry is especially critical of the skills mismatch in government appointments: “The MEC of health should be qualified in that sector, and the same should apply to agriculture.”
He uses a stark analogy to make his point: “You appoint someone who can’t even do first aid to head the health department. That kind of mismatch works against us in the agricultural industry.”
He emphasises the critical importance of agricultural leadership: “Experienced farmers should lead farming, in particular, because this is vital for food security.”
Jerry’s comments highlight frustration with a system where policy decisions affecting farmers are made by people without practical farming experience and he advocates instead for an approach where farmers’ actual needs start informing government support.
