“Don’t let a crisis goes to waste,” goes the popular adage. And this is what seems to have inspired Ncumisa Mkabile when she took a plunge and started a farming business at the height of the Covid-19 in 2020. The decision was a big gamble because she was moving into a completely unfamiliar territory. The 28 year old entrepreneur from Khayelitsha in Cape Town was forced to close her take-away business after government imposed a raft of restrictions to curb the spread of the virus in the country.
Schooling
Mkabile went to school at Rocklands Primary and High School in Mitchells Plain. After completing her Grade 12, she studied travel and tourism diploma at Boston City Campus and Business College. As with many graduates, she could not find a job in her field of study. And she started to do some odd jobs including a stint at Old Mutual as a consultant.
Growing popularity
But instead of wallowing in self-pity, her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in as she quickly pivoted her business and started selling chicken and spinach. She named the former Mamcube Home-grown Chicken. Her business became instantly popular with the community and the demand for her products also started to grow. She identified a piece of plot where she planted 20 000 seedlings of spinach, this was followed by the same amount of green pepper seedlings. Mkabile’s business is thriving to such an extent that she supplies vegetables to local supermarkets.
Feeding the nation
When she ventured into business two things were uppermost in her mind: to create jobs for the locals and to “feed the nation” by contributing towards food security initiatives not only in her local community but also nationally. Many people lost their sources income as a direct result of the pandemic which led to widespread poverty in the communities. It is estimated that women-owned businesses constitute approximately 23% of the South African economy. Miss Mkabile’s business is a source of inspiration to many young people who have been affected by the pandemic. She says when she was growing up her father used to operate his own small business entity and that it was during this time that the entrepreneurial bug bit her.
Receiving accolades
Miss Mkabile’s incredible passion and drive did not go unnoticed: she won several awards in recognition of her commitment to her business acumen and for being a role model. She won the ‘Against All Odd’s entrepreneur award at the 7th ‘Annual StarQt Awards’. She also scooped a Sunlight competition; pocketing R200 000 through ‘Sunlight’s More Than You Expect Heroes’ initiative. The Sunlight award comprised exciting investment packages including:
- a Brownsense Business Training course
- an irrigation system
- an agricultural course
- marketing services
- farming supplies and
- a cash injection of R50 000.
The prize money became handy as she used it to buy equipment and expand her business. She has also been recommended to head up a farming sector for the Khayelitsha Business Forum which aims to empower and educate local people on farming.
