"Farmer, I appreciate your question and I’m glad to respond by sharing my journey."

First of all, I am living proof that strategic investment in farming works. I am 55 years old today, and I retired from formal employment at the age of 49. To this day, approximately 50% of my income comes from farming cattle and sheep.

My journey began in 2002 while I was working for Nampak, a blue-chip company headquartered in Johannesburg. I used my year-end performance bonus to buy my first 7 cattle (cattle were selling for R2,000.00 each at that time). Worst of all at the time, I did not own land so I rented a farm in Mokopane, where I farmed for 7 years at Mr. Deon Richter’s farm (may his soul rest in eternal life).

In 2008, after realizing that my herd was growing and that renting land would eventually become expensive, I secured and fenced off Mashemo-a-Magaeng (village planting areas that were approximately 35 hectares of former village planting land, but was no more in use).

By then, I had already drilled a borehole, developed small camps for livestock control, and built basic accommodation for farm workers, the kraal, and shelter for my small stock (sheep and goats). My cattle were grazed on open communal land around neighboring villages and brought back into the kraal at night.

I also planted crops on 15 hectares of land for supplementary feeding during the dry season, and I also sell to other farmers when I have an over-supply of supplementary feeding. Today, I have spent over 18 years on that land, and I sustain myself through farming, supplemented by occasional consulting work during the year.

While I prefer not to disclose exact livestock numbers, I can confidently say that the business is profitable and operates well above break-even. My message is simple: Achieving your dream and financial freedom is possible. It requires consistency, discipline, determination, and dedication. What starts small can grow significantly over time through patience and persistence.

The Guiding Principle

This journey is guided by a simple principle: To Be → To Do → To Have