A love for Brahmans!
This is Phillip Mukhithi’s
passion.
NEWS
•••
AUBREY KRUGER
Mukhithi’s Makietie
THE SAYING GOES THAT ALL WORK
AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL
BOY. BUT PHILLIP MUKHITHI JUST
GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
WITH ALL THE EFFORT HE PUTS INTO
FARMING. PHILLIP IS A TRULY INSPIRING DEVELOPING FARMER. NOT ONLY
DID HE BUY HIS OWN FARM, HE IS
PROGRESSING VERY WELL IN EQUIPPING HIMSELF TO BECOME A BIGGER
AND BETTER FARMER.
after school, who worked on a farm. He especially
loved the tractors. He knew then that he would
like to have his own farm one day, even though he
was somewhat resistant to farming in those days.
However, that was when the first seeds were planted.
“Later I fell in love with farming.”
What makes Phillip different is that he was
already an accomplished businessman before he tackled farming. He started his career as a security guard
and then worked for 14 years in the telecommunications environment, during which he transferred
to Klerksdorp. He was awarded his first security
contracts in 2003 and is now the proud owner of his
own security firm, Tshedza, employing over 1800
staff. To top it all, he also has his own fuel station in
Potchefstroom.
FROM SECURITY TO A LOVE FOR FARMING
The 52-year-old Phillip describes himself as a serious commercial farmer. He bought his farm of 435
hectares between Klerksdorp and Wolmaransstad way
back in 2007 and the journey up to now has seen
him grow tremendously.
But let’s start at the beginning. He was born and
raised in the Mara Village in Limpopo, where he
attended Kranspoort Primary School. Then he went
to Dzata and Mphephu High Schools in Venda.
He reminisces about his first encounter with farming as he used to come home to his mother Sarah
CATTLE
An African is defined by cattle, “A man with cattle,
is a man.” That prompted him to enter the farming
industry. His goal is not just to farm, but to become
the change. “I am prepared to see the farming industry change.”
That love grew even further when he met
Marthinus Verster. At the time he only had commercial cattle, when he was introduced to Brahmans.
“Martiens talked about “Stoetbrahman”. It was then
that my love for Brahmans started.” Martiens even
took Phillip to auctions.
SENWES Scenario • Feb/Mar 2016
17