Tsholo Maimane: Planting Courage, Growing Opportunity
When Tsholo Maimane stepped into agriculture, it was not by choice but out of a sense of responsibility. What began as taking care of her late father’s cattle has since grown into Maimane’s Enterprise, a bold, community-rooted farming venture that reflects her courage and vision.
By Maphuti Mongatane, Business Development Manager at African Farming
Her journey is not one of shortcuts or inherited privilege, but of resilience, bold decisions and an unwavering commitment to both family and community. After her father passed away, she was thrust into responsibility, taking over his cattle. What began as a duty slowly grew into a passion. Her journey led her to venture into crop farming, and a couple of years later, Tsholo is one of the most determined women shaping agriculture in Gauteng.
From Learning Curves To Market Access
Tsholo’s earliest attempts at farming were filled with lessons and challenges that could have ended her journey before it even began. Instead, they became stepping stones. Over time she built her confidence in growing vegetables such as spinach, green peppers, onions, basil, coriander and, more recently, sugar snap peas. Each crop added a new layer of expertise, and today her knowledge spans a wide range of vegetables, backed by practical experience. Her produce supplies both local markets and the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, ensuring her enterprise balances trust within her community with broader market reach. She also channels a portion of her crops to a packhouse in Hartbeespoort, which opens doors to buyers requiring high-quality standards. This balance of community loyalty, local sales and formal market penetration is what sustains her business.
Farming For More Than Profit
What makes Tsholo’s enterprise stand out is its community-first approach. On her land, she has set aside space for her employees to grow spinach and onions for their own families. This small but powerful act strengthens loyalty, dignity and shared ownership of the farming journey. She has also creatively extended her reach by making use of multiple backyards across her family network, transforming communal plots into productive gardens. Each space adds to her output, proving that innovation is not only about technology but also about using what you have with vision and intent.
Innovation Through Cotton And Diversification
Innovation runs at the heart of Tsholo’s story. Recently, she planted cotton for the first time, a bold move inspired by its resilience and low water requirements. Starting with five hectares, she successfully harvested her first crop and is already planning for regrowth through pruning, showing both foresight and adaptability.
Alongside cotton, she continues to diversify with coriander, basil and sugar snap peas, ensuring that her business is not tied to a single crop or season. This diversification is a key pillar of her resilience strategy.
The Challenges That Build Resilience
Like many farmers, Tsholo has faced harsh realities: late planting, packhouse rejections, transport costs that sometimes exceed profits, as well as the uncertainty of fluctuating markets. Yet, instead of discouraging her, these obstacles have helped her to adapt. Every rejection has taught her to find alternative markets. Every increase in diesel prices has taught her to plan leaner and smarter. Every setback has become part of the muscle she continues to build as a farmer determined not to return to corporate life, but to carve out her legacy in agriculture.
Vision For Growth
For Tsholo, the future is clear: tunnels. This single piece of infrastructure, she believes, would allow her to stabilise production, honour supply agreements and break into larger supply chains with confidence. Tunnels represent not just protection from the elements, but the security of knowing her farm can perform year-round.
A Legacy In Motion
At its core, Tsholo’s journey is about legacy. It is the legacy of her father’s cattle, of her children now seeing farming as a family calling and of her community benefiting directly from her courage. Her story is one of turning loss into leadership, small beginnings into enterprise and risk into resilience. Tsholo Maimane has proven that farming is not just about producing food but also about building futures. And in her courage, she continues to grow opportunity, for herself and for all those who walk this journey with her.
