ASSOCIATIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Deciduous fruit industry
celebrates commitment
The South African deciduous fruit industry presented its awards for outstanding performance in
agriculture at the 42nd annual gala evening on 22 September 2017.
need a rest. His years of experience,
dedicated interest, and attention to detail
are worth his weight in gold.
Tumiza Nganunu, junior production manager
at Steenebrug outside Piketberg, recei ved
the merit award for Advanced Agricultural
Worker of the Year for his outstanding
performance in a managerial role. He has a
positive outlook on life, has high standards,
and progressed quickly to this position
where he manages two foremen and 150
supervisors. Last year, he won first prize in
the Berg River Table Grape Producers’
Association’s Agricultural Worker of the Year
competition. Errol April of Amanzi near Greyton received
the Novice Award for a new deciduous
fruit farmer performing exceptionally
in his first five years in the industry. He
showed significant personal and business
development over the past four years under
difficult circumstances, with no farming
experience prior to 2013.
Kammies Goliath of Eselfontein near Ceres
received the Specialist Agricultural Worker
of the Year merit award for outstanding
performance by an in-house trained
agricultural worker who is now a specialist
in the field. He has been working with
pest control on the farm for 39 years. He
manages six spray operators that also work
night shifts and he sometimes even gets on
the tractor himself when his team members
Sonja Plaatjies of Wildekrans Estate in
the Botrivier area received the General
Agricultural Worker of the Year merit award
because of her outstanding work, strong
personality, and good teamwork. In her
three years on the farm, she has proved that
she is reliable and diligently executes her
tasks to the best of her ability. She also takes
part in social activities and plays for the
community’s netball team.
André Roux, director of Sustainable
Resource Management of the Western
Cape Department of Agriculture, received
the Innovation Award for his technical
contribution to address agricultural
challenges and problems to the benefit of
the sector and the larger community. His
background in engineering and knowledge
of agriculture have led to innovative
irrigation practices to save water, electricity,
and fertilisation.
Leopoldt van Huyssteen, chief operating
officer at Stellenbosch University, received
D
eciduous fruit includes apples,
pears, apricots, peaches,
nectarines, plums and prunes,
cherries, table grapes and dried
grapes. They are grown mainly in the
Western Cape and with the current
drought, celebrating commitment and
perseverance seems an especially
worthy cause.
Four people received awards for
outstanding performance working on
deciduous fruit farms specifically, and three
for their direct and indirect contribution to
the industry:
The 2017 winners, at the back, from left: Lucille Botha (Izethelo Media Award), André Roux
(Innovation Award), and Leopoldt van Huyssteen (Frontrunner Award). In front, from left:
Kammies Goliath (Specialist Agricultural Worker), Tumiza Nganunu (Advanced Agricultural
Worker), Errol April (Novice Award), Jan van Wyk (runner-up Advanced Agricultural Worker),
Ricardo Theodore (runner-up Specialist Agricultural Worker), and Sonja Plaatjies (General
Agricultural Worker Award).
the Frontrunner Award for his leadership role
in the agricultural sector over a period of 40
years. He has served on several committees
and boards and was president of the
Council of the Soil Science Society of South
Africa for three years.
Lucille Botha received the Izethelo Media
Award for agricultural journalism. She started
as a general reporter at Die Burger and later
became industry reporter for deciduous
fruit and wine at Landbouweekblad. She
has been assistant editor of the latter since
2013 and is also involved with the brand
extension, Landbou Boerekos.
In 2016, the deciduous fruit industry
included 2 252 producers with a total
turnover of R13.63-billion per annum. In terms
of world production, South Africa ranked in
the top 10 for pears, in the top 20 for apples,
apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums,
and 64th for cherries.
CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • November | December 2017
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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