CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 1, 2015 | Page 80

ENACTUS

“For us, the feeling of
controlling something, of
seeing things grow the way
that you wanted them to,
has been really important”
— Sbongiseni Slabela

L-R: Garly Phakathi, Lindeni Nzimande, Busi Mnt
Nqayi, some of the founder members

Enactus UKZN project manager Luvuyo
Gushu. “The owner said that they just throw
them away, and he agreed to donate the
used sacks, which were in good condition,
to the project.”
After Gushu explained what the sacks
were for, Honchos also agreed to buy the
future potato harvest from Sinwabile at
market value. In one sweet move, Gushu
had addressed two of the co-op’s most
pressing needs: a supply of good quality
sacks (that would otherwise have gone
straight to the landfill), and the crucially
important access to a market.
The pilot project is looking promising,
and 150 sacks of young potato plants have
been thriving. Expansion plans for the coop are under way. They have permission to
use a much larger piece of land that could
accommodate up to 1 000 fifty-kilogram
80

| Issue 1 | Capital

sacks. A conservative estimate of the total
potato yield for one planting cycle would
be around 10 to 15 tons, but a really good
crop could double that figure.
I asked the members of Sinwabile what
they need to ensure that their expanded
project is a success. One of the young men
who recently joined the co-op, Zwelakhe
Slabela, answers immediately: “Fencing!
And Jojo tanks.” Fencing materials to goatproof the larger piece of land are high
up on the co-op’s wish list. An irrigation
system would increase the efficiency of
their processes — ideally with Jojo tanks
to collect rainwater runoff, but at this stage
even a basic hosepipe would be welcome.
Used
50 kg sacks, fertiliser, spades and
wheelbarrows are also needed. Most
importantly, they will need to expand their