BUILDING A FAMILY LEGACY
Clifford Mthimkulu (31) grew up watching and then helping his dad, Koos, as he did his duties as farm labourer on Frikkie du Preez’s farm Mieliebult in the Libertas area of Senekal in the Free State in the 1980s. Tending livestock on Mieliebult after school, on weekends and even over holidays was the beginning of Clifford’s deep love of farming. Today that passion has culminated in him recently being chosen as a finalist for the prestigious 2020 Grain SA New Era Farmer of the Year award, which his father has already won.
“The sound and smell of tractors working, the memories of my father welding, grinding, repairing, and building implements from scratch into amazing working tools – those are the memories that inspire my farming career. And it wasn’t by luck but through hard work that I can now follow in my father’s footsteps today.”
Koos, born Moleleki Jacob Mthimkulu, was born on Julius Bobbert’s farm in the Free State district of Paul Roux in 1955. At an early age, Koos started working as a shepherd and later as a dairy assistant. After
