Newsroom

By Obed Makgoale

"Building Resilient Economies for All." This theme focuses on addressing barriers such as poverty and inequality by accelerating women’s participation in the economy and providing them with the necessary resources and support for growth and development.

Mmangwana Devorcia Matlala, is a successful PLAS (Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy) farmer, who is actively counted amongst many female commercial farmers who contribute meaningfully to the country’s economy.   Matlala holds a Diploma in Plant Production from Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture and an Advanced Diploma in Agricultural Management from the University of South Africa.

She was allocated the 835.4279-hectare Horizon farm through PLAS on 10 December 2024.   The farm is in Alldays, Blouberg Local Municipality in the Capricorn District,

The farm is suitable for both crop and livestock production. Although she has yet to receive land development support from the government, Matlala is already hard at work contributing to food security and combating unemployment. Currently, she has planted chilies on 4 hectares and employs over 60 people, with 80% being women and youth, and 20% men and elderly.

Mangwana is keen to empowering other women in farming and in her acceptance speech She said, “My core message to women farmers is that there are no limits—we can accomplish every goal we set. We just need to be patient and work very hard. Farming is challenging, but it can be made easier. It’s no longer just men’s work; women are equally capable. Challenges will arise—as in my case, I faced frost during my first year of planting—but I did not give up."

Matlala has many plans, including planting potatoes soon. She encourages youth to consider agriculture as a career path, highlighting that it offers valuable learning opportunities and the potential to become employers while playing a vital role in the economy. Addressing the delegates and motivating female farmers, Mr. Melton Tshililo, Acting Head of the Limpopo Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, said: "The Land Reform Programme continues to elevate young farmers from smallholder to commercial farmers. Ms. Matlala is among the hardworking farmers who have benefited from the government’s Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS). The PLAS Strategy was introduced as a corrective measure to address the lack of young farmers in the agricultural sector."

Born in De Vrede village, Senwabarwana town, Matlala was raised by smallholder farmer parents. She developed a passion for farming at a young age and decided to pursue it as a career immediately after completing matric. She started farming on 50 hectares of land, which she obtained from Chief Kibi in Bochum (Senwabarwana), to plant potatoes after finishing her tertiary studies.

Matlala contributes to the local economy by enabling the community of Kibi and surrounding villages to buy fresh potatoes directly from her farm, eliminating the need to travel long distances to the nearest town. Her produce reaches street vendors, the Johannesburg Market, and Nizam’s Meat Wholesalers with support from commercial farmers.