Senwes Scenario September - November 2021 | Page 13

NEWS our neighbour who allocated 2500 l of water to us daily to save our livestock from thirst .” During that time , they realised that Nguni cattle do not perform very well in the market and made plans to diversify and acquire Bonsmara cattle . They have never looked back since .
Things began to turn around when , towards the end of 2011 , the Mooketsi ' s put in a bid to occupy the farm on which they currently farm - Driehoek between Vryburg and Kuruman . A move that would set them on the path to success . The farm is divided into 15 camps of about 120 ha each , which are rotationally grazed . Some of the camps are rested for at least six months . Driehoek , which has six boreholes , is also covered by extensive Acacia bush , which is selectively cleared when it becomes too dense . The rotational grazing system of the farm ’ s goats made it possible for the Mooketsi ' s to weather the 2012 / 2014 drought rather comfortably because they had spare camps with enough grazing to see the animals through .
Barui Co-operative has collected a string of accolades over the years . After overcoming a terrible fire that ravaged most of their land in 2012 , they recovered and were awarded a first prize all-expenses-paid trip to Nebraska in the USA to attend the Beef Cattle Symposium , to improve their focus on proper record keeping . In the years that followed , they kept racking up awards and achievements , including being named ARC Small Scale Commercial Beef Producer of the Year in 2017 . The Mooketsi ’ s credit the training and support they received from Small Enterprise Development Agency ( SEDA ), which gave them the edge they needed to succeed .
It is clear from Matshidiso and Kabelo ’ s interactions with their two grandchildren , Ntsako ( 5 ) and Nyiko ( 2 ), that the business succession plan is in solid hands . The two eagerly work the land with their grandparents , helping to feed the animals and water the vegetables .
SENWES SCENARIO | LENTE SPRING 2021 11