ONE FARMER’S DREAM OF BEATING THE KZN FLOODS

l3thu

March 17, 2024

Uncategorized

Rebuilding hope through the power of community

Siyabonga (Siya) Ndlela is the successful founder of KZN agricultural business Ndlela Agri Group and winner of this year’s Firstwatch Whisky Entrepreneurs Challenge. Siya’s farm and projects in Impendle, uMgungundlovu, KZN, have been developing steadily through the support of a close business network and the Firstwatch Whisky Entrepreneurs initiative.

Then the April 2022 floods arrived bringing devastation and havoc throughout the province. Determined and resolute in the face of disaster, Siya was simply not ready to watch his precious start-up dream get washed away in the floodwater. In his own words, this is the story of his survival against the odds.

WHEN THE FLOODS CAME, WHAT WAS YOUR IMMEDIATE REACTION?

“Of course, the floods came as a shock. I wasn’t expecting it, and it completely caught me off-guard. But what can you do other than reinvent yourself in situations like these?”

“As an engineer and everyday entrepreneur, I believe in learning from my mistakes. The first thing that crossed my mind when the floods arrived was, ‘Why didn’t I foresee this?’ And I went to one of my friend’s farms, which was also hit, to see what the other farmers were doing. Because he dug trenches in the right places, he didn’t have the same issue. That was a lightbulb moment.

“I used the floods as a learning opportunity. Yes, it was devastating in many ways, but it was an opportunity to do it better than I had before. For example, now I’m planting on higher land. The floods were a freak incident, but they taught me that I must always have contingencies in place.”

DID YOU HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT DURING THAT CHALLENGING TIME?

“Firstwatch has continued to be supportive throughout, and I’ve been sending them regular updates. We also have ongoing training sessions where we all share what we’re going through and exchange ideas, which has been rewarding on so many levels.”

HAS YOUR APPROACH CHANGED SINCE THE FLOODS?

“I had an extensive re-evaluation recently. Of course, I want the business to grow, but it can’t just happen overnight. I don’t want to be in a position where I have customers I can’t service. At this stage, I’m taking it one step at a time and not overpromising to anyone. I would rather overdeliver. This is one of the most valuable things I learned from my mentors and the network I have been able to build up.”

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