The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Farming Reporter
THE turn of the millennium has seen more and more women globally continuing to break down barriers by venturing into domains, which were previously associated with their male counterparts.
Assistant Commissioner Sithulisiwe Mthimkhulu is one such character who has joined the bandwagon of the trailblazing and exceptional women who are breaking stereotypes to change their own lives and inspire other women and girls around them.
Not only has she managed to rise to the higher echelons of the police force, a profession mainly dominated by men, the woman has stealthily attained another milestone through breaking into the traditionally male farming industry.
Although Asst Comm Mthimkhulu was brought up by parents who were peasant farmers, mainly relying on subsistence farming to fend for her and her siblings, it never dwelt on her that one day she would take up farming as part of her livelihood.
However, as fate would have it, the then young and bubbly Asst Comm Mthimkhulu who is now based in Bulawayo, was to be deployed in a predominately farming area as a junior police officer and somehow started developing a keen interest in farming.
“My first deployment as a constable was at Redcliff Police Station and I mostly policed farming areas and during patrols in these areas I realised how commercial farmers basically grew everything they ate and even processed their own cooking oil from the sunflower harvested from their fields and I really admired their way of life,” she expressed.
Upon realising that one might make a killing through venturing into commercial farming, the enterprising law enforcer was to lease a one-hectare plot on the outskirts of Harare in 2013 where she mainly majored in the production of horticultural produce through growing tomatoes, onions, lettuce, beetroot, English cucumbers, rape and chomolia. To add to her horticultural production, she also grows maize and rears indigenous chickens. Asst Comm Mthimkhulu is hoping to include animal husbandry as part of her efforts to enhance the viability of her agricultural enterprise.
“I intend to go into animal husbandry through rearing of cattle and sheep as well as chickens, particularly indigenous birds. I already have some cattle and sheep which I’m keeping at my father’s homestead in Insiza (Matabeleland South) and some in Nyamandlovu,” she said.
Asst Comm Mthimkhulu also contends that she has managed to grow and sustain the viability of her farming project largely due to following advice from agricultural experts and sharing notes with other farmers. Asst Comm Mthimkhulu said failure to access a larger piece of land and her commitment to her duties in the force are the only impediments in her effort to “work right round the clock” at the farm.
She reckons that in most traditional and patriarchal-oriented communities the girl child is restricted to gendered roles such as household chores while their male counterparts are encouraged to pursue education, which would enable them to become successful breadwinners. The senior cop said she was concerned about the plight of the girl child to the extent that she takes part of her time to push for their upliftment.
Asst Comm Mthimkhulu said much has to be done to ensure the girl child is given the same opportunities as the boy child.
“I firmly believe that everyone is capable of flourishing in their respective areas, if given an opportunity. So, I always try and identify areas where opportunity lacks for people and I’m somehow biased towards the girl child whom I feel is still somehow marginalised even up to now,” she said.
Asst Comm Mthimkhulu also takes time to mentor girls to pursue their chosen career paths.
“I also meet a lot of girls who tell me they want to be like me with some asking me to mentor them and this makes me realise how fortunate I am to be where I am and that has pushed me to do the work that I’m doing,” she said.
To sum up her philanthropist work, Asst Comm Mthimkhulu is meeting all school needs for four girls in Lupane.
