Lentswe, Klerksdorp - Rethabile Ngwenya, founder of Reaobokwe Agri-business, is a young visionary using township farming not just to grow food - but to grow futures. Based in Potchefstroom, she transforms township land into thriving gardens and learning spaces. Through her self-started Boys and Girls Club, she teaches local kids how to plant, grow, and understand the power of food - instilling life skills, confidence, and hope in the process.
She knows you only gain independence through hard work. Her roots are in Jouberton where she grew up. Her farming journey began in 2021 when she created a vegetable garden in the township and set up a small stall to sell fruit and vegetables to the community. Slowly but surely, her savings grew, allowing her to expand her farming efforts.
By 2022, her hard work has paid off, and Reaoboka Agribusiness and Projects was officially established. “What motivated me to get into farming is my belief in practical work and my love for seeing progress from my efforts,” Ngwenya shares.
She attributes much of her farming knowledge to the workshops and seminars she has attended since she started. She graduated in 2023 from Vuselela TVET College in Klerksdorp with a qualification in public management.
Over the years, she also completed a level 4 course in animal production and undertook several short courses, including in assessing and corporate governance. “I have attended SABS training to gain more knowledge and continue growing,” she says.
If that is not enough, she also ventured into agro-processing, turning her chillies into chilli sauce. “I realised that while I’ve been growing chillies, not everyone enjoys them raw, which led to the creation of a chilli sauce.”
Her customers mainly come from her local community and surrounding areas, including Kanana, Khuma, Orkney, and Klerksdorp.
Ngwenya has a passion for sharing her farming knowledge with the next generation. That is why she started a campaign, “Raising a girl and boy child in farming”, which teaches children as young as three years old about farming and the health benefits of understanding where their food comes from.
“I believe it’s important for them to learn about farming and the nutritional value of the food they consume.”
She faces daily challenges, such as the need for irrigation and animal feed, but she says she has much to be thankful for.
