Ntoto won because he possessed “the three
P’s. Passion, purpose and personality. Isaac
loves working with berries, so the passion is
there. He has a purpose- he knows where he
wants to go, and he is driven. And personality
because when you’re farming with berries,
you’re farming with people and Isaac has a
marvellous way with people. He is always
smiling and encouraging his team, but he’s
firm at the same time.”
As overall winner, he has won prizes in excess
of R100 000 and a place on the Prestige Agri
Worker Forum which meets with the Minister
each quarter to discuss agri worker as well as
sector related issues.
The competition, which has been sponsored
by Shoprite since 2012, seeks to recognise the
hard work and dedication of the province’s
agricultural workforce.
New minister of Economic Opportunities,
Beverley Schafer said: “Congratulations to
Isaac Ntoto on his well-deserved win. I look
forward to engaging with him and hearing his
thoughts on issues which affect agri workers,
in our quarterly engagements.”
“I am also very pleased that we saw an
increased number of entries from young
people in the competition this year.
Developing opportunities for the youth is
one of my priorities as Minister of Economic
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
Opportunities, and agriculture, as one of the
cornerstones of our economy, is key in helping
us drive this.”
Outgoing Minister, Alan Winde said: “Over
the years, this competition has shown us the
calibre of the workforce we have in this sector.
This year has been a particularly difficult
one in agriculture, with the drought, avian
influenza and the listeriosis outbreaks. But
despite the uncertainty, the men and women
who work in this sector still played their part in
ensuring that seeds were sown, animals were
fed, and crops were harvested.”
We would also like to thank Shoprite, who
have been our partner in this competition
since 2012. They play such an important role
in the agricultural value chain in South Africa
and it just makes sense that they’re the ones
partnering with us to honour the people who
work in it.”
A total of 1318 agricultural employees
entered the competition this year from 16
regions across the province. Regional winners
were chosen in Piket Bo Berg, Durbanville,
Stellenbosch, Central Karoo, Berg River,
Franschhoek, Breede River, Swartland,
Overberg, Langeberg, the Garden Route,
Olifantsrivier, Hex Valley, the Elgin, Grabouw,
Vyeboom and Villiersdorp region and
Witzenberg.
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