Growing up in Naledi, a small mining settlement near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, Fellistus Sekgale was surrounded by mines and families whose livelihoods depended on them. However, her attention was drawn to the farms surrounding her community.
Her father and older brothers worked in the mines, making mining a common career path for many young people around her. She, on the other hand, admired the vast fields and the silence they represented.
Sekgale's growing interest in agriculture eventually led her to study the field academically. In 2018, she graduated with distinction in Animal Production from Tompi Seleka Agricultural College, and in 2019, she earned a BTech in Agricultural Extension and Development from Tshwane University of Technology.
Although she did not come from a farming family, she gained practical experience in 2006 when her fourth-grade Afrikaans teacher, Mrs. Kervelis, took her class to a farm. Sekgale recalls: 'That day I had the opportunity to go inside and experience what I had always seen from afar.' She remembers the smell of fresh cow and pig manure, pigs playing in the mud, green cornfields, as well as the work of tractors and combines in the fields.
At the time, Sekgale envisioned herself as a lawyer who owned a farm, inspired by her teacher who combined teaching with farming. As she grew older, her interest in agriculture became a career choice.
In 2018, while participating in a two-year program for unemployed graduates of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture, Sekgale was already planning how to establish herself in agriculture. She saved over 45% of her monthly salary, using these funds to acquire land on her homestead in Limpopo. In the same year, she registered her business, QueenAgri, although active trading only began in 2020.
When she acquired the land, it was bare, without any infrastructure for farming, Sekgale explains. She started in the backyard of her home in Mphanama, keeping a small number of animals, growing crops, and building two small chicken coops—one for broilers and one for layers. Now, the enterprise has grown to include the production of cabbage and sweet potatoes, with plans to enter grain production. Her livestock includes cattle, goats, and sheep, and her poultry farming has grown from an initial 500 birds to approximately 6,000 layers.
She also sells chicks for laying, wholesale eggs, and broilers, both live and processed. Sekgale has built a client base that covers her community, retailers, wholesalers, and resellers, with Spar being one of her retail clients. She supplies crop goods and eggs to locations such as SuperSpar Lebovakgomo and Spar SaveMor Difagane, as well as Choice Supermarket in Mokopane.
Gaining access to formal markets was not as difficult as she expected, she says. By continuing to farm on a small scale, she approached retailers with samples and focused on building relationships. Her transition to crop production was also gradual. Initially, she bought products from other farmers for supply to retail outlets before increasing her own production.
Since then, the business has grown to the extent that she relies on a team to manage the crop and livestock enterprises. Sekgale also notes that the practical training received at Tompi Seleka Agricultural College helped prepare her for the realities of farming.
Sekgale's work in agriculture extends to accredited training. Through AgriSETA, she conducts training in mixed farming, crop production, and livestock. The SETA service covers business plan creation, entrepreneurship, business management, and finance, while MICT SETA focuses on computer literacy. She believes digital skills are increasingly important for farmers and rural communities as technology becomes an ever more significant part of agriculture.
Her farm is also linked to the realities of working on communal land. The land on her homestead is under a Permission to Occupy (PTO), which allows her to use it as long as it remains in use. If she stops using it, the traditional council may reclaim and redistribute it for community needs. Cattle sales are determined by the market she serves; Sekgale mainly sells animals for slaughter through auctions and buyers in her community. 'We don't necessarily have the best breeds. The animal's weight is most important because I am not a breeder. I mainly sell animals for slaughter, so I prioritize weight.'
Animal health is also a key factor, as the cattle must meet necessary sanitary requirements, including a brucellosis-free certificate. Sekgale's journey highlights the transformative power of vision, disciplined planning, and continuous learning in South African agriculture. By bridging the gap between small-scale production, formal retail markets, and community skill development, she is not only securing the future of her business but also inspiring the next generation of agripreneurs across Mzansi.