JOHANNESBURG - When one pictures a successful attorney, they imagine someone draped in a black gown who has spent years in courtrooms
But for Kuhlula Ndhima, her story took a bold turn when, at the age of 40, she walked away from her thriving law practice and swapped out legal documents for farming boots.
Today, on her 36-hectare Ndhima Farm Holdings in Tzaneen, Limpopo, Kuhlula grows mangoes, oranges, macadamia nuts, tomatoes, and green peppers.
Alongside this, she also runs a poultry business with nearly 5,000 hens, a business venture that keeps her farm’s cash flow steady.
The journey, however, has not been easy, Ndhima told eNCA.
Because she has no agricultural background, Ndhima had to teach herself from scratch, seeking knowledge and skills wherever she could.
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While getting the required knowledge was easy, she says another hurdle was funding and market access.
'Everything I’ve done has been from my own pocket. Sometimes I make losses on the vegetables, then I have to take from my pocket.'
'But I still enjoy [what I do] because I have an opportunity to create employment for local women, give young people a place to come do practicals to gain skills, and also contribute to food security,' she explained.
Where markets are concerned, Ndhima says it's not impossible to access them, but getting your products to those areas is an issue because that too requires money.
Besides financial struggles, Ndhima says she finds herself having to navigate a male-dominated industry and having issues with market access.
This, she says, comes with its own issues, including being undermined and workers taking advantage of her but that does not get her down.
'It takes will and desire to succeed and get to where I am' she says.
With the long awaited G20 drawing closer, Ndhima says she hopes more discussions about access to land, markets and funding across South Africa and other member states