Two young farmers from Mpumalanga were nominated for the 2018 #YAFF Awards, and they won in their respective categories at a ceremony held outside Pretoria last night, 29 June 2018. Sinethemba Sambo from Siyavuya Co-operative in Steenbok in Nkomazi and Manqoba Petros Ngwenya from Themba Labasha Furniture Primary Co-oprative in Diepdale in the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, both represented Mpumalanga very well, as they are headed back home with a trophy, a cheque and a certificate.
Held under the Theme: "Reshaping the future of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors by creating a sustainable path for the country's young producers", the #YAFF aims at encouraging and recognizing excellence displayed by young people in the three sectors. In his speech, Minister Senzeni Zokwana spoke of how important the youth is to agriculture, and generally in the fight agains hunger and youth unemployment.
The Head of Department Mr LS Monareng said he hoped that the two winners from Mpumalanga at the #YAFF Awards, will encourage more young people in the province to participate, or nominate one another for these awards next year. A group of young local farmers, some of whom are part of the Fortune 40 programme, attended the glittering award ceremony, to witness and be motivated by their peers who collected accolades.