Young farmer reaps rewards from independence

12 Apr, 2015 - 00:04 0 Views
Young farmer reaps rewards from independence Mr Webster Mundenda

The Sunday News

Mr Webster Mundenda

Mr Webster Mundenda

Shepias Dube
THE dawn of independence on 18 April 1980 opened vast economic opportunities for millions of Zimbabweans who were once economically marginalised by successive racist colonial governments.
These opportunities are not only for those who witnessed the brutality and segregation of British colonialism but were also extended to those born in the new political dispensation — the so-called born frees!

One such individual who is basking in the glory of black economic empowerment brought about by independence is Mr Webster Mundenda, a 34-year-old businessman based in Bulawayo.

To Mr Mundenda independence gave the black people the dignity and opportunity that they were denied for close to a century.
“Independence has brought so much economic opportunities to black people who were previously brainwashed to think business, especially commercial farming, was for white people only.

“As born frees we should be very grateful to our parents who, by fighting for independence, gave us an opportunity to economically empower ourselves,” said Mr Mundenda.

He said with the coming of independence 35 years ago Zimbabweans were now able to venture into any business of their choice.
Born in Hurungwe district in Mashonaland West in 1981 Mr Mundenda is one of the few remarkable young horticultural farmers in Bulawayo.
He owns two plots — a 12-acre plot in Riverside and another one in Matsheumhlope which is 10 acres big.

“I am more into horticulture and I grow cabbages, potatoes, butternuts, beetroots and carrots,” said the energetic young farmer.
But what inspired the young man to venture into farming when most of his age mates are into white collar jobs and so-called “smart businesses” like internet cafes, cellular phone business and flea markets.

“Farming is in my blood stream. My grandfather, who is one of the pioneers of the Second Chimurenga which ushered in independence, owns a plot in Hurungwe and after the death of my father l used to assist him in the field. This is the man who gave me the first taste of farming,” he said.

The turning point in his life was in the year 2000 when he got a job as a clerk at Dilrich Investment, an ostrich and crocodile farm in Mazowe.
As a farm worker he realised that farming was a lucrative business which cannot only boost an individual’s financial status but can make the country move forward.

He also realised that even though the farm was owned by and significantly benefiting whites it was the blacks who actually did all the work.
“It was then that I started appreciating farming and got the idea of being my own boss but I realised that it was important to first equip myself with essential farming skills before getting into farming business. I convinced my bosses to send me to an Agricultural college on condition that I would work at the farm during holidays and after my training. I wanted to do something which would keep me going even if Dilrich Farm was to collapse.”

And so after three months at the farm the ambitious young man found himself at Gwebi Agricultural College for a two year diploma course in Agriculture.
After completing the diploma he was promoted to a farm manager and later moved to Bulawayo when the farm was acquired by Government for resettlement in 2002.

“When I moved to Bulawayo my focus was no longer on working but doing something on my own and so in 2008 I resigned and with the little package I got from my job as a farm manager I started my own farming business.”

He started by renting small plots around Bulawayo and within five years he managed to raise $22 000 to buy a 10-acre piece of land in Matsheumhlope where he has embarked on an intensive horticultural project that has made him one of the major suppliers of vegetables in the city.

In 2014 he acquired a 12-acre plot in Riverside and increased his workforce to eight permanent workers but he often hires contract workers when the need arises.

So lucrative is his business that he is able not only to sustain his extended family but also to give himself a monthly allowance of $1 000.
“This business has transformed me from an ordinary boy to a formidable pillar that sustains the family. I am now respected by everyone because I provide bread for the entire extended family.”

Mr Mundenda said he was getting enough income to invest in the future of his three children, two of whom are doing primary education at Waterford Primary School.

But how does he survive the competition in the horticulture sector?
“My strategy is to observe what other horticulture farmers are up to and I always go for what they don’t have. This way I am always assured of being the only one of the few with a particular product,” he proudly said.

Mr Mundenda is a businessman with his workers at heart.
“I always make sure that the people I work with are happy. This makes them put maximum effort as they feel part of the business,” he said.
He strongly condemned employers with a colonial mentality who view workers as slaves and challenged them to be more humane.

Over the past four years he has educated six of his workers from Form 2 to Ordinary Level and some of them have since left the farm for greener pastures.
“My main aim is to empower young people and so I have been paying fees for my workers who have a passion for education. I don’t even stop those who would have succeeded in their academic endeavour from pursuing their dreams. After all one needs to be selfless to empower others,” he said.

At the moment he is sponsoring his farm manager, 22-year-old Mthandazo Moyo, who is doing lessons for a Class 2 driver’s licence.
It is this ability to transform lives that makes him a respectable man in the Bulawayo farming community which has since elected him as the provincial ambassador of the Federation of Young Farmers Club Zimbabwe.

But is he content with what he has achieved so far?
“No, no I still have a lot of dreams. With the independence we were given by the gallant sons of Zimbabwe the sky is the limit. My main dream is to be a big commercial farmer who will be able to export horticultural products all over the world,” he said with a smile.

He has since applied for a farm from Government and if he is lucky to be allocated one, he will soon diversify into livestock production.
“The land reform is the greatest thing to ever happen in post-colonial Zimbabwe and as youths we have to fully utilise the opportunities it offered. I have already applied for a farm and if I am considered I will venture into serious livestock production,” the young farmer asserted.

He urged Government to assist youths to enjoy the fruits of independence by involving them in policy making as this would put young people at the centre of socio-economic emancipation.

However, the young farmer challenged youths to remain focused and never to forget their dreams.
“I encourage young people of my age to be always focused on what they want to achieve. Friends will always be there but remain committed to what you want to achieve and not the things they want you to do.”

Wise words from a child of independent Zimbabwe!

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