WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN? Create a good relationship with your neigbours, especially when you are new in a neighbourhood.

Dr Job Mthombeni has come a long way since his days as a farm labourer. Thanks partly to a successful construction business, he has been able to make his farming dreams come true. Hard work, planning and the ability to learn from his mistakes have also played a huge role in Job’s path to commercial farming. He talks to Peter Mashala about lessons learnt, and the way forward.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN? To Identify my potential and work hard to get the best out of myself. WHAT

As a teenage mango trader, Sibusiso “Sbu” Zwane learnt lessons in agriculture young and put them to good use later as he rose through the ranks in the pig sector. Now a commercial pig farmer who runs his own business, Sbu shares his experiences with African Farming’s Peter Mashala.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? I would have studied pig production at Buhle – this is what I think is missing in

Positive encouragement from her parents, solid training and the right attitude set Lerato Senakhomo on the path to success in the farming world. Not a woman to let failure stand in her way, she takes advantage of opportunities to learn about agriculture and surrounds herself with excellent mentors. Lerato speaks to Peter Mashala about her thriving agri-business.