South African farmer overcomes physical challenges

Jul 26, 2018

Mbhazima Makhubele’s legs were amputated in 2008

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A farmer from Limpopo, South Africa isn’t letting physical challenges stop him from running a successful agribusiness.

Mbhazima Makhubele, who along with his 13 employees produce about 75 acres of tomatoes, chillies, green beans and marrows, a vegetable similar to zucchini, underwent a double leg amputation in 2008 due to sugar diabetes.

In addition to using prosthetis to get around, the 70-year-old farmer also navigates challenging roads any farmer can empathize with.

“The main challenge is lack of water and resources to expand this project and hire local people,” he told Sowetan Live today. “We draw water for irrigation from (the) Molotsi River, which has been experiencing low levels for many years.”

His dedication to agriculture has also led to opportunities for his family.

Last year the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recognized him as the best farmer in the country in the category of people living with disabilities. His award came with a R60,000 (US$4,535) cash prize.

He used that money to help further his son’s education at Wits University in Johannesburg, where he is earning his MBA.

During times when a good crop doesn’t seem likely or the weather isn’t cooperating, Makhubele’s employees look to him for inspiration.

“I raised all my five children while working here over 30 years,” Mmamaropeng Mahani, a 71-year-old pensioner, told Sowetan Live. “What you see here is because we didn’t give up.”

In addition to sending his harvests to market in Johannesburg or Pretoria each month, Makhubele also donates portions to of it to the community when there are funerals in his village.

Mbhazima Makhubele/Sowetan Live photo

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.