From the Ground Up: How Mangaliso Farms is Cultivating Opportunity

In Ncerha, just beyond the edges of Buffalo City, a young farmer is doing what many talk about but few actually do, building something that speaks directly to the needs of his community.

At only 22, Chuma Mneno founded Mangaliso Farms, a proudly black-owned agricultural enterprise focused on beef production and agribusiness consultancy. What began on communal land with limited infrastructure has, over the years, grown into a structured operation that creates jobs, upskills rural youth, and responds to local market demands.

Chuma’s story is not just about livestock or feedlots, it’s about resourcefulness, identifying gaps, stretching every rand, and taking practical steps to reduce costs, improve turnaround times, and meet client needs. Whether it’s the daily struggle of hiring a cattle trailer or travelling 48km just to fill up diesel, the challenges are real, but so is his determination to overcome them.

In circumstances like these, support from the ECDC’s programmes such as STRTEP is more than a financial injection. It’s a sign that an organisation is listening, sees the vision, and is willing to back it. With the right resources, Mangaliso Farms is now able to focus on what it does best, producing quality livestock, creating jobs, and building a future where rural youth don’t have to leave their communities to find better opportunities.

The business currently employs nine people, and its growth plans are rooted in impact, translating into skills transfer and a stronger local economy.  Beyond the numbers lies a story of young people taking ownership of their future, using entrepreneurship as a lever for change, and proving that rural spaces are not sites of scarcity, but places of potential.

Mangaliso Farms is proof that the next generation is not waiting to lead in the future, they’re taking the lead now, and the ECDC is here to continue backing them.