As the sun rises early over Dennilton outside Groblersdal in Limpopo, David Moloele is already up, walking between his cattle, goats and sheep, with a bucket of feed in his hands. It’s hard to believe that these same hands once worked the mixing boards for some of South Africa’s biggest music legends.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
Back in the day, Moloele was the sound engineer everyone wanted to work with. His studio in Johannesburg was where the magic happened – where artists such as Dr Winnie Mashaba, the late Solly Moholo, Makgarebe a Bochabela, Thomas Chauke, Penny Penny, Arthur Mafokate and Joe Nina came to record their hits. His first big break was engineering Ema O Tsamaye by the late William Mthethwa, and from there his reputation grew like wildfire.
“In those days, the music industry was booming,” Moloele remembers, watching his Limousin bull graze peacefully in the morning sun. “We were busy, the big companies were making money and I was training other engineers. Life was good.”
Although farming was not his daily job back then, he nevertheless had cattle and sheep. But in 1997 everything changed. One morning, Moloele arrived home to find his fence cut and 25 of his cattle gone. Just like that, years of hard work vanished into thin air. The thieves didn’t stop there – they came back for his 15 pregnant sheep ewes.
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“I nearly died after that,” he says, shaking his head. “Between the music career keeping me in Joburg and the thieves taking everything, I just gave up on farming. What was the point?”
The Return to the Land
Fast-forward to just before Covid-19 hit South Africa. The music industry was changing – big companies were closing down, work was becoming scarce and Moloele found himself at a crossroads. That’s when he made the decision that would change his life: he was coming home to Dennilton, back to the soil that raised him.
“The music wasn’t the same any more,” he explains, pointing to his six special cattle that don’t graze with the village herd. “These ones here are too valuable to risk. Some are pregnant, some are calves. And you see that Limousin bull? He stays home so he doesn’t go around breeding for others. I can’t take chances any more.”
This time around, Moloele is farming smart. He’s growing a mixed herd of Limousins, Bonsmaras and Nguni cattle, carefully selecting which breeds work best in his area before making final decisions. His indigenous goats and sheep are productive, but he’s learnt to keep smaller numbers.
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“Big numbers attract thieves in communal areas,” he says. “Now I breed to sell, keep the numbers down and minimise the risk of theft.”
But it’s his pecan nut venture that really shows his forward thinking. Two years ago, he planted these trees on a one-hectare plot, using grafting methods taught by local farmers. Pecan trees, originally from America and India, can take years to fruit naturally, but grafting speeds up the process.
The Pecan Promise
He says the pecan nut market is growing in South Africa. “These nutritious nuts are in high demand both locally and internationally, and are used for everything from baking to healthy snacking. With proper care, pecan trees can produce nuts for up to 100 years, making them a perfect legacy crop.
“Next year, we should start getting fruits,” Moloele says excitedly. “These trees will benefit my children and their children. It’s about leaving something that lasts.”
He waters his pecan trees and lucerne using water from his borehole, and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture has been supportive, providing lucerne seeds and teaching local farmers how to make bales for storage during drought periods.
Building Community Resilience
Moloele isn’t just focused on his own success. He’s encouraging other villagers to use their plots productively or lease them to people who want to farm but lack land. He’s also working on plans to set up a recording studio in the village to help local talent, proving that you can take the man out of music, but you can’t take music out of the man.
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The livestock theft problem still worries him, and he’s calling on local farmers to organise themselves better to stop the thieves. “We need to work together,” he insists. “This problem affects all of us.”
As the morning progresses and his animals settle into their daily routines, David Moloele reflects on his journey. From the bright lights of Johannesburg studios to the quiet morning sounds of cattle lowing and roosters crowing, life has come full circle.
“In music, you create something beautiful that touches people’s hearts. “In farming, you create something that feeds people’s bodies. Both are about nurturing and growth. Both leave something behind,” he says.
His pecan trees stand tall and green, promising a future harvest.
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La Rhone production auction: High prices for exclusive Limousin breeding material
Breeding cattle that work for farmers, not the other way around – Sandile Nzuza, Bonsmara SA
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