When Godfrey Makhombothi was a motor mechanic and lost his leg in a work accident, he was left with no way to support his family.
But instead of giving up, he decided to put a plot of land in Hammanskraal outside Pretoria to good use in 2015.
“I inherited a plot from my parents, so I thought to myself that I should make something productive with the land that I have,” he told Vutivi News.
Makhombothi, 45, said that after receiving an artificial leg, he was able to get his fingers dirty and started farming okra, cucumber, spinach and other produce.
“After seeing that this is a profitable venture for me, I decided to do it with my family. My wife and my children also farm with me, and it makes things easier because many hands make light work,” he said.
Makhombothi said he inherited his love for farming from his grandfather, who showed him the ropes.
“When I was 15, I already knew that farming was an activity that our family is proud of,” he said.
He told Vutivi News that the Covid-19 pandemic had hit him hard as a small-scale farmer.
“Normally after I harvest okra, I take it to a nearby fruit and vegetable market to sell it. It is bought mostly by foreign nationals, because it is a plant that they are very familiar with. South Africans don’t really know much about the plant, so the lack of knowledge makes it more challenging to sell,” he said.
“I used to be able to go out with ten 25-litre buckets full of okra and I would come back having had sold everything. Now, since a lot of the foreign nationals cannot work due to the lockdown, it has become increasingly difficult to sell okra.”
Another challenge was being paid consistently.
“If I take it to the market, it’s a hassle because people that stock pay me at their own time and price me, sometimes unfairly,” Makhombothi said.
“It’s different from when I sell it and deliver it to customers.”
Before the pandemic struck, he used to deliver okra to customers who would place orders with him.
“People would order two to three buckets in one go, and I would make a lot of profit. Now it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
Makhombothi chose to specialise in okra because of its numerous benefits.
“It is very healthy as it aids the digestive system and boosts the immune system. I personally use it as it assists me with (helping) my diabetes,” he said.
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