14 September 2023

By: Charl van Rooyen

Calla Serfontein (43), the only son of Sernick Group founder Nick Serfontein, passed away over the weekend due to a blood clot in his lung.

Nick told African Farming that Calla was the group’s CEO until 2022. Since then, he ran his own business on a farm outside Kroonstad, where he farmed with cattle, sheep, goats and horses and was involved in property development. 

“The farm, Lusthof, lives up to its name and is truly a paradise and something to experience,” said Nick.

Even though their business paths diverged, father and son remained close and spoke daily.

Calla earned his BCom, MCom and MBA degrees at North-West University after finishing school. He started working at Sernick in 2005 and played a crucial role in expanding the group’s development programme for emerging farmers.

In 2010, he was appointed as a director and in 2015 he became CEO of the Sernick Group, which consists of a large stud farm and commercial farming operation with Bonsmara cattle, a feedlot, a feed factory, an abattoir, a deboning plant and slaughterhouses.

Calla leaves three children: a 13-year-old daughter, Carli, and two sons, Nick (4) and Chris (2).

A private service will be held on the farm at noon on Saturday, September 16. It will also be live-streamed.