Nkosana Mtambo
Agriculture, mining, sustainability, and the environment
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Age:
29
Project Name/Description:
CEO – Mtambo Boerdery (Pty) Ltd
Nkosana Mtambo heads an agri company called Mtambo Boerdery (Pty) Ltd in the Free State. Mtambo was born into a business-oriented family with interests in coal and public transport, a background that chiselled him into the smart and focused agripreneur he is. In 2014, Mtambo acquired his first farm in a small town called Vrede, trading in livestock. “I was fortunate to be trained abroad in Indonesia, where I did my crop training and agro-processing,” he says. Marking a decade in the agricultural space, Mtambo now proudly manages three prosperous farms. His success and prominence have attracted the lenses of KykNet, SABC 2 and other television platforms. Again, he was named Free State Farmer of the Year as well as Standard Bank agribusiness ambassador. In 2021, Mtambo became the founding chairperson of Phumelela Agri, an organisation aimed at uniting black farmers. Among others, farmers affiliated with the organisation benefit from the bulk-buying system for business necessities like fuel and fertilisers. Mtambo maintains that the democratic dispensation hasn’t done much in the area of farming. “All that is needed is that the truth must be revealed about the secret weapon to fight poverty and where the real economy and wealth is lying, which is in the soil,” he states, adding: “Our people must be reminded that you need a farmer three times a day. Also, you can’t download food, so agriculture must be prioritised from the primary school level.”
