Empowered To Climb The Ranks

Hard work, dedication and showing a lively interest in agriculture have propelled Iris Mashaba and Dineo Mokhabuki from being temporary farmworkers to holding managerial positions at major agribusinesses near Mbombela in Mpumalanga. Lindi Botha spoke to them.

- Lindi Botha

Twycross Farm and Packers, a family business nearly 100 years old near Mbombela in Mpumalanga, has provided a path for many of its workers to rise through the ranks and become senior managers.

Owner, Simon Dunshea, a fourth-generation member of the operation, has learnt that while it is easier to find someone with experience and poach them from elsewhere, the ideal candidate is often already in one’s team.

“Sometimes, the right people are under your nose. It’s important to speak to the people you work with and find out what their background is. If you give them the opportunity and nurture them, the abilities that emerge can be amazing.

“Promoting from within is also important because these people understand your business better as they have come from the ground up. Socially, too, it’s important to develop your own people.”

ROAD TO MANAGEMENT

Iris Mashaba started working at Twycross Packers in 2003 as a temporary employee, assisting the then pack house manager, Julian Marshall, with administration and stocktaking. She had struggled to find employment after school and did not have the finances to study further. This was her first job. “I started here from zero. I didn’t know anything about farming or packhouses, but I paid careful attention when Julian spoke to me. After the first season they made my position permanent because they could see I worked hard.

“Julian started showing me how the packing line works, how to test for minimum residue levels on the fruit and how to do the consignments. Gradually, I learnt everything about running the pack house.”