SHE and her husband started their poultry business in their backyard in 2019 with just 50 chickens, which they slaughtered themselves.
Business is now doing so well that Lebohang Dhludhlu resigned from her job as an electrical engineer in July 2023 to focus on the business.
The 34-year-old woman from Emalahleni in Mpumalanga, who is the co-founder of Nkanyezi Group formerly known as Nkanyezi Poultry, said she resigned from her job at Eskom, where she had worked since 2010, to invest more time in her business.
"I loved my former job as much as I love farming, so it was difficult for me to quit. But I knew I had to due to the demand of my farming business.
"When I realised that farming is what I love to do, I started to invest more time and resources in it and it required me to give my 100%, which I couldn’t when I was doing both. So, I decided to abandon my full-time job for my side hustle," she said.
Lebohang said working full-time and being in business was exciting and challenging, but she needed to work hard.
"The field I'm in is male-dominated, so I must be more bold, vocal and work extra hard to be respected. I'm also balancing being a wife and mother with running the business. But my husband, family and my team have made things easy for me," she said.
She has employed over 100 workers and hopes to employ more people as the business grows. She also plans to become the biggest exporting farmer in the country as well as have the largest black female-owned chicken farm.
"It's not easy to venture into business. It needs one to be dedicated and willing to put in the hard work. I sleep for six or less hours since I started my business. And education is important when you're in business, which is why I also encourage people to go to school, even if it’s just short courses," said Lebohang.
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Lebohang's business is based at Elukwatini in Mpumalanga, and it currently supplies schools in Mpumalanga with chickens. She plans to export chicken feet to China.
"I also have potential clients in our neighboring countries who have shown interest in my chicken supply. I'm also expanding my farm and trying to cut out the middleman. We're building our two houses to accommodate 25 000 chickens, our own abattoirs and further processing plant," she said.
One of the workers, Wandisile Mkhwanazi (27), said he has learnt a lot and has fallen in love with farming.
"We've been given an opportunity not just to work, but to also learn about business," he said.
