Despite facing several obstacles farming on communal land, a 36-year-old producer of Lichtenburg, was announced Grain SA’s New Era Commercial Farmer of 2025 in October.
Botlhale Jacob Tshabalala is being described by his mentors as eager to learn and with a strong will to succeed. It is precisely these qualities that have seen him go from strength to strength since taking up farming in 2013.
Qualified, but jobless
He was born in Itsoseng and the family relocated to Lichtenburg when he was nine years old. Botlhale obtained matric at Hoërskool Lichtenburg in 2009 and completed a course in fitting and turning after which he applied for apprenticeships at several mines in the area.
His numerous attempts were to no avail. By this time his father, David, had been leasing communal land at Driehoek near Lichtenburg where he produced maize and farmed with Brahman cattle.
Unemployed, his father invited Botlhale to join him on the farm. ‘He bought me production inputs for 15 ha in a year that was severely dry. I didn’t even break even on that land,’ Botlhale recalls. However, he did not let that deter him.
His father had a business in town where Botlhale worked for a salary, which he used the following year to buy his own inputs and try his hand at farming again.
He explains his motivation to persevere: ‘I don’t know how to explain it, but I enjoy farming. I don’t want to work for anyone else, but myself. I want to grow my own legacy for my children. It is difficult, but I’m determined to farm and I don’t want to do anything else.’
Asking for help
Armed with the limited farming knowledge he had acquired from his father, Botlhale then decided to reach out to other producers who could mentor him.
He approached Heinrich Krüger, former chairman of NWK’s board of directors. ‘I went to school with his son, Hansie, and decided to ask him for advice. He didn’t hesitate to share his knowledge. ‘One year he even donated a boom sprayer to me for free as he saw I had been struggling with weed control. Another person who helped me is Marco van Rensburg. All of these guys were very open and helped me a lot.’
In 2016 he became a member of Itsoseng’s study group of which Du Toit van der Westhuizen (Grain SA’s regional development manager of the Phahama Grain Phakama office in North West) was the study leader. Botlhale became a member of Grain SA in 2018.
He also credits David Whitfield, a mentor at Nedbank, for advising him on his Brahman herd.
By 2020 Botlhale wanted to expand and approached NWK for a production loan. ‘I lacked certain documents, but NWK explained its requirements. I returned the following year with all the relevant information and I was granted the loan.’
Once a client of NWK, Botlhale also became a member of the company’s Developing Farmer Project, under the mentorship of the former manager of the project, Leonard Thaphathi. ‘That guy! He believed in me from the start. He has played a big part in my success. I still miss his presence, but I’m fortunate to now get the same support from Klaston (Sefiti) at NWK.’
He also credits Lourie Rootman (area representative of Midchem) for advising him on the optimal use of chemical inputs.
When accepting his award as the Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year, on 2 October at Nampo Park near Bothaville, Botlhale thanked NWK as his financier.
He speaks with great gratitude, not only about the individuals who have mentored him throughout his journey, but also institutions like Grain SA, Absa, Nedbank as well as Kgodiso Development Fund which have assisted him.
Grain SA’s Farmer of the Year function in 2025.
Photo: Grain SA
The difficulties of farming on communal land
Botlhale dreams of being a successful Brahman stud breeder. ‘I have a fully fledged commercial Brahman herd and want to join the (Brahman SA) Society to become a stud breeder.
‘My father had been farming with Brahman cattle for years, and I fell in love with them. I saw red Brahmans at the farm of Chris Badenhorst – a farmer whom we usually buy our bulls from – and suggested to my father that we switch from the white Brahman to the red one, which I find more beautiful.’
However, this dream is unlikely to come true as long as Botlhale farms on communal land. ‘There is no fencing, so animal invasion from other herds is a big issue. I also cannot keep my bulls separate to let them rest or apply selection criteria as I’d like,’ he explains.
In 2014, 26 of his cows, of which many were pregnant, were stolen and never recovered. “Crop theft is another issue, and the crops also get damaged from animals walking freely there. I must hire individuals to guard my maize at an additional expense.’
Botlhale cannot plant on the communal land before the other farmers do, as it would increase the chances of animal invasion and crop theft. ‘Even if I prepare my lands on time, I have to wait for my neighbours so that we can plant around the same time. Therefore, I’m often delayed in my operations.’
He says he has applied twice to lease state-owned land, but without success. ‘I don’t know why my applications have been denied, since the department (North West Department of Land Reform and Rural Development) never gives feedback.’
He is now buying as many NWK shares as he can with the hopes of presenting it as collateral for a loan to buy his own farm one day.
Botlhale added that North West’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development had donated seed and diesel for the new planting season to him and fellow communal farmers. However, the diesel was apparently mixed with paraffin and unsuitable for use.
Frank Lesenyego, spokesman for North West’s Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, on enquiry confirmed that Botlhale had applied for two farms in 2019 and 2020, and added that there is simply not enough land available for all applicants with the desire to farm.
‘Due to the high volume of applications for land allocation the department receives, it is not always possible to revert to each applicant who had applied. We can confirm that the demand for land allocation far surpasses the need for land for agricultural purposes. The department continues to acquire land on an annual basis and the applicant should look for advertised farms on the departmental website for future consideration.’
NWK Arena also enquired about the alleged substandard fuel that had been given to communal farmers. Another spokesperson for the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Emelda Setlhako, said that these allegations were under internal investigation.
‘Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get’
As with many other farms in the area, Botlhale was subjected to a severe drought in 2023. ‘In 2024, I consequently planted only 185 ha of sunflower and adjusted my planting dates according to the different fields and their potential.
‘I’ve never had such a perfect emergence of sunflower! The stand was as high as 45 000 and I increased fertiliser to 150 kg/ha.’ Alas, the heavy rains later in the season resulted in much lower yields than Botlhale had anticipated. ‘I was supposed to average 2 t/ha and above, but on most fields I harvested as little as 600 kg/ha. It was devastating!’
By early November 2025, Driehoek had received good rains and Botlhale was optimistic that the upcoming season would be a good one. ‘I am aiming to plant 150 ha of maize and 50 ha sunflower.’ He usually plants small white beans too, but was reluctant to do so in a wet year when it would be more susceptible to rust.
‘Farmers can’t complain. We must adapt, have resilience as well as faith and pray.’
Take baby steps to expand
Although Botlhale is eager to acquire his own land and expand his farming operation, he believes in doing it in small increments. ‘NWK’s Developing Farmer Project taught me the ‘low hectare, high yield’ method, whereby you only work what you can manage.
‘If you stay within your capacity, you can better work your lands on time, manage them better and consequently obtain a better yield. Especially with today’s more unpredictable weather conditions, it’s important to expand in smaller increments such as 45 ha, rather than 100 ha.’
Botlhale has acquired his own tractors and implements throughout the years and leases them to farmers in need.
He received a brand-new John Deere 5075E as part of his prize. ‘I am very thankful towards John Deere SA. They have paved the way for me with this donation.’
Photo: Grain SA
Support is crucial for success
Du Toit describes Botlhale as a loyal member of Grain SA who grabs every opportunity to gather information and learn more. ‘He loves agriculture and is actively involved in his own farming operation and daily tasks on the farm. There are numerous challenges when farming commercially on communal land. He is someone who should have his own land.’
Heinrich added: ‘Jacob is someone with a will to succeed and this is exactly what he’ll do! It is encouraging if someone approaches you for advice and he achieves success by using it.’
Apart from his mentors, Botlhale says his father has played an important role in his success. ‘I have to single out my brother, Thapelo. He works at Afrimat, but whenever he is on leave and supposed to rest, he lends a helping hand on the farm.’
Botlhale also paid tribute to his late mother, Melitah. ‘She was actually disappointed when she learned I wanted to farm fulltime, as she wanted me to rather have a professional job. I think she was scared by farming’s difficulty and the unpredictable weather. However, once I explained to her why I wanted to farm, she gave me her full support and blessings.’
Botlhale is immensely grateful for the unwavering support of his wife, Lerato. They have a son, Samkelo (11) and a seven-month old baby, Yamihle.
