We are used to hearing stories of young people from Matabeleland who flock to South Africa in search of greener pastures. When some of these youngsters find jobs in the Rainbow Nation, they completely forget about their “roots” as they are swallowed by the fast metropolitan life.
On the other hand, we are used to reading stories of young people who abuse social media to cause harm to themselves and society. They spend most of their time on social media watching pornography and inciting violence.
However, our Editor-in-Chief, Munyaradzi Huni, came across a completely refreshing and inspiring story during his tour of Matabeleland South. He met a young couple who narrated their rags-to-riches farming success story, thanks to YouTube and Facebook. The couple went against the tide by abandoning their well-paying jobs in South Africa, returning to Zimbabwe and venturing into farming without any prior experience. Their story will blow your mind!
The Brick by Brick magazine team was about to pack its bags for the long trip back to Harare when the Acting Provincial Director for Agriculture and Rural Development Services in Matabeleland South, Mkhunjulelwa Ndlovu, popularly known as MK, decided at the last minute that the team visits “this young couple that is doing wonders after learning about farming on YouTube and Facebook.”
It was an opportunity too good to miss. So off we went to meet this couple. And what did we see? A portable tank for irrigation stood in one corner of the yard while a few metres from the homestead was a fowl run and a makeshift greenhouse. The couple also keeps a sizeable number of goats, sheep and cattle. We could also not help marvelling at the lush green crop of maize right there in front of us.
The introductions over, Nothando Sibanda (29) started telling her story — in impeccable English — in the absence of her husband, Lovington Dube (35), who was away on a church assignment.
The couple has two children – Ukukhanya, the first-born boy, and Azania, Mummy’s little angel.
Nothando opens up: “As you can see, we have approximately one hectare of green maize which is watered by a borehole. We have two fowl-runs for broilers, a greenhouse where we are planning to put tomatoes and an orchard. Mind you, we have only been here for about a year.”
So how did it all start?
“Although we were relatively comfortable in South Africa, I could tell that my husband had a strong passion for farming. I worked for a catering company while my husband was a swimming coach. We led a good life, but my husband always told me that he wanted to be his own boss. I did not see what he was getting at the first time around, but it gradually sank into my head.
“My husband started spending his free time watching farming videos on YouTube and Facebook. He encouraged me to do the same, but after some initial hesitation we were watching the videos together. It was about five year ago when he first mooted the idea of us relocating to our rural home, but I kept on dragging my feet. After all, farming was a risk business and it was something I had never done before apart from helping my parents in the fields in my adolescent years. Retracing our footsteps back home was the last thing on my mind, but now that we are her, I have no regrets whatsoever. I have since fallen in love with farming.
“My husband is happy. I am happy. Our children are happy. Slowly but surely, we are finding our feet. As a God-fearing family and members of the 12th Apostle Church of Christ we put everything we do in the hands of the Almighty. If you want to do anything and you want to do it your way, it doesn’t usually work out. God’s way is always the best.”
What exactly changed her mind?
The mother of two is adamant that farming is not for the faint-hearted. “The honest truth is that I hated farming but now I am deeply in love with it. I like being in charge. Right now we employ a general hand, but we plan to engage more labourers as the project grows. The best part of this project is that we work as a family. All our relatives, including my in-laws, are very supportive. In fact, this piece of land belongs to my in-laws and I am grateful they have set aside one hectare for us to kick-start our project.
“Farming requires a lot of hard labour, but I am enjoying it now. I came back from South Africa in 2021 and my husband followed at the beginning of 2022.
“We are still learning the ropes, but we are doing just fine. The sky is the limit for us. What keeps us focused are the success stories of other farmers.
“In South Africa I was lazy . . . always watching movies”
Like most of her age, Nothando confesses that she was addicted to popular soap operas such as Generations, Muvhango, Gomora, etc. Says Nothando: “During my time in South Africa, I would watch soaps the whole day, but now I wake up every day around 3.00am. This keeps my mind busy. I like it. It’s not good being idle. It kills your mind. I want my mind to be always fresh to grasp new ideas.
“Last month, I was in Bulawayo and I hated what I experienced. There was no water or electricity. Here I have drilled our own borehole and so we never run out of water. There is no load-shedding here, thanks to our solar power.
Nothando was born in Lupane, but raised and educated in South Africa and only returned to her homeland upon marriage in 2014. “I went to school up to Grade 12, the equivalent of Advanced Level in Zimbabwe. My dream was to become an air hostess, but that’s all in the past tense now. I am now, first and foremost, a farmer and loving every minute of it. My husband and I are our own bosses and it’s something you cannot take away from us. It feels so, so good.”
Are there any downsides to life as a full-time farmer? “Unfortunately, the network connectivity here leaves a lot to be desired and so more often than not we are forced to travel all the way to Bulawayo to do our internet farming research. However, I repeat, I don’t miss town life at all. We have solar-powered electricity to power our refrigerator and television set. Now, I can watch all my favourite soaps during my free time,” says Nothando.
