From jobless to agripreneur

When 34-year-old Patience Makgai from Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo graduated with a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Vaal University of Technology in 2013, she had high hopes for a career in the industrial sector.

But after spending more than five years without finding a job or even an internship, she realised she needed to find another way forward.

“After finishing my qualification, I was at home for over five years without finding a job. Unemployment made me go into agriculture,” she recalls.

That bold decision changed her life.

Today, Makgai is the proud founder and owner of PAG Business Enterprise, a thriving mixed-farming operation that spans 605 hectares. Her business employs five permanent and four seasonal workers, produces grain on 230 hectares, manages 136 cattle and 23 goats, and supplies major retailers such as Spar and Pick n Pay.

Makgai’s journey into agriculture began in 2018, when she decided to explore farming as an alternative to formal employment.

In 2019, she enrolled in a three-month Vegetable Production course at Buhle Farmers’ Academy, which equipped her with the technical and business skills needed to start her own operation.

“The training gave me the practical knowledge and confidence to start small and grow from there.”

In 2020, she launched PAG Business Enterprise, farming on two hectares of family-owned land in Ga-Mphahlele.

She began producing vegetables such as spinach, butternut, and cabbage, and also kept a small herd of cattle, supplying nearby supermarkets and butcheries. However, land disputes within her family forced her to seek new opportunities.

Determined not to give up, Makgai leased a five-hectare plot from the Nkangala Municipality, where she farmed vegetables between 2020 and early 2024.

It was during this time that she noticed advertisements from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) inviting applications to lease government-owned farms.

“I started applying, and I wasn’t immediately successful. I think I applied for three or four other farms before I was finally entrusted with this one,” she recalls.

In 2024, her persistence paid off when DALRRD awarded her a 605-hectare farm, complete with equipment and implements. She immediately diversified into crop farming, cultivating soya, maize, and sunflower on 230 hectares, while dedicating the remaining land to livestock production.

Her business now supplies AFGRI, one of South Africa’s leading agricultural services companies, while her cattle are sold at auctions and through off-take agreements.

AFGRI offers integrated solutions in mechanisation, grain management, animal feeds, retail, finance, and farmer development.

Grateful for the opportunity that transformed her life, Makgai acknowledges the government’s support.

“I just want to thank the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development for entrusting me with this farm. Because of this opportunity, I am no longer unemployed. I am self-employed, and I have managed to create employment for others,” she concluded.

For more information about the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, visit www.dalrrd.gov.za.