Kgomotso runs a successful poultry farm in her backyard

Lack of land to build on didn’t stop Kgomotso Vilane from starting a poultry farm in her grandmother’s backyard, in Tsakane, in the eastrand area.

The 26-year-old farmer had no land when she started her chicken farm in her grandmother’s backyard Apart from not having land to start this booming business, Vilane’s son was very ill, she needed to leave her job in KwaZulu-Natal to care for him.

Her son was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, a cancer that harms the eyes, according to SA Good News.

This would require her to make time and care for him, this meant she needed to be travel between her home in Tsakane and a local hospital where he was receiving treatment.

After leaving her job, she was left with no money, making it hard to care for her child and provide the necessary medication.

But she told SA Good News that while looking for opportunities, she stumbled upon an agricultural course which lead to her saving money to start her poultry business.

“I started a business of chicken farming. It’s rare this side, and no one is doing it [in Tsakane],” Vilane said, further explaining that she only started with 30-layer chickens.

“[This was] because I didn’t really know what I was doing, but the bottom line was to start something and do something with my life and my son’s life,” added Vilane, as she explained how her poultry farming journey began.

Vilane’s investment in poultry farming has reaped positive results as she now breeds 100 – 200 broiler chickens per cycle.

“Each and every six weeks of the year, I breed 200 chickens,” she explains. Vilane specializes in broiler chickens, which are common for braais, fast-food outlets, and township street food, known as “chicken dust’ or “shisa nyama.”

Editor’s note: Young people from different schools in the country are trained on essentials skills will enable them to reach new heights in their careers and help them start their own businesses.

Description: The programme curriculum is a blend of theoretical and practical activities, aimed at developing students’ knowledge, skills and understanding, and encouraging creative thinking and practical creativity, coding and robotics.

Editor: Anirlé de Meyer Project manager: Anirlé de Meyer