TWYCROSS FARM AND Packers, a family business nearly 100 years old near

Mbombela in Mpumalanga, has provided a path for many of its workers to rise

through the ranks and become senior managers.

Owner, Simon Dunshea, a fourth-generation member of the operation, has

learnt that while it is easier to find someone with experience and poach them from

elsewhere, the ideal candidate is often already in one’s team.

“Sometimes, the right people are under your nose. It’s important to speak to the

people you work with and find out what their background is. If you give them the

opportunity and nurture them, the abilities that emerge can be amazing.

“Promoting from within is also important because these people understand your

business better as they have come from the ground up. Socially, too, it’s important

to develop your own people.”

ROAD TO MANAGEMENTIris Mashaba started working at Twycross Packers in 2003 as a temporary employ-

ee, assisting the then packhouse manager, Julian Marshall, with administration and

stocktaking. She had struggled to find employment after school and did not have

the finances to study further. This was her first job.

“I started here from zero. I didn’t know anything about farming or packhouses,

but I paid careful attention when Julian spoke to me. After the first season they

made my position permanent because they could see I worked hard.

“Julian started showing me how the packing line works, how to test for mini-

mum residue levels on the fruit and how to do the consignments. Gradually, I learnt

everything about running the packhouse.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHS:

FARMER’S WEEKLY AND LINDI BOTHA

BREAKING NEW GROUND IN EMPLOYMENT

Simon Dunshea, a fourth-genera-

tion farmer on Twycross Farm, says

it is important to move away from

traditional stereotypes of employee

roles.

“We’ve trained a number of

women over the years who are now

performing critical roles in the busi-

ness. This is despite the fact that it

is traditionally a male-dominated

world. We even have female tractor

drivers. You don’t necessarily need

to be strong; you just need to be

careful and conscientious.

“These women have a strong work

ethic. They’re dedicated, loyal, and

willing to learn and show leader-

ship. As they are often the bread-

winners, they show a high level of

dedication.”

Dunshea says that the company is

in the process of setting up specific

training programmes.

“The women who have gone from

very junior positions to senior posi-

tions did so organically through the

mentorship they received here. If

they show initiative, they’re given

the chance to rise up in the ranks.”

He adds that people do not neces-

sarily have to have the education;

they just have to have the will. “It’s

important to employ people based

on their attitude and skills.”

Julian Marshall, who retired recently as packhouse manager, and Iris

Mashaba, who replaced him. Photos: Lindi Botha

Dineo Mokhabuki.

In 2010, Mashaba was appointed assistant packhouse manager, and

early in 2018 took over as packhouse manager from Marshall, who retired

in March 2018. She is responsible for one million 4 kg- trays of avocados

in a season, which equates to 5% of South Africa’s harvest. About 80% of

the company’s produce is exported to Europe.

Dineo Mokhabuki has also turned her life around through the mentor-

ship and opportunities she received at Twycross. In 2003 she was working

as a waitress in a restaurant close to the farm, trying to make enough

money to pay for an electrical engineering degree. Twycross’ farm man-

ager at the time, André Loubser, who frequented the restaurant, decided

to give Mokhabuki a chance at a better job to pay for her studies.

“I started out as a farm clerk, assisting with GlobalGAP (good agricul-

tural practices) accreditation and record-keeping,” she recalls. “After three

years, I was promoted to assistant farm manager, working side by side

with André. He encouraged me every step of the way, and the more inter-

est I showed in the farming operations, the more time he took to teach me

everything he could.”

Mokhabuki was promoted to farm manager in 2009, soon after

Loubser retired. Her experience stood her in good stead; early in 2018 she

joined HL Halls & Sons in Mbombela as a section farm manager.

Mashaba explains that her greatest challenge in going from general

worker to manager was learning how to deal with staff.

“I’ve had to make an effort to understand how to get the best out of

them. When dealing with them, I’ve learnt to focus on the job and not

make it personal. I have to explain things on their level as some of the

people are not educated and as a result they have a sense of inferiority. To

get past that, I speak to them as if I were one of them. If they don’t under-

stand what’s expected of them on the packhouse floor, then the room for

error in getting the consignments right is greater.”

Dunshea says this is one of the reasons Mashaba is such an asset to the

company. “One of her greatest strengths is making sure everyone has a full

understanding of what needs to be done. She can identify where they are

and work out a system to get them to where they need to be. She’s very

fair and firm, and the people who work under her are highly productive,

purely because of the way she manages them.”

He says that as a result, the packhouse runs optimally, enabling

Twycross to maximise the volume of exportable fruit. The result is more

income for the growers, and more growers delivering to Twycross.

According to Mokhabuki, her greatest challenge was being a young,

black woman in a position of authority, when most of the workers were

men who did not want to take instructions from a woman.

“In the beginning, bad things were said and threats were made. I didn’t

know how to react to that. But I said to them, ‘I’ve been given the task to

manage you. If you don’t want me to lead you, then who must lead you?’

I told them that I was not there to trample on

anybody, but to build a harmonious, happy

working environment. After that, everyone

started warming up and I started gaining their

trust. They saw me as one of them.”

Mokhabuki says the experience helped to

shape her as it taught her humility and respect.

“I had days when I broke down, but in the end

I decided to make the best of it and move for-

ward. My father taught me to be resilient.”

She stresses that failure is part of life but it is

important to keep going. “Every time I failed in

something, I asked myself where I went wrong.

Then I worked hard at tackling those issues. If

I fail I don’t stay down. I’m going forward, not

backward,” she says.

GETTING TO A TOP SPOTBoth Mokhabuki and Mashaba believe that

showing a keenness for the job and not being

afraid of hard work are what brought about

their success.

“Getting yourself noticed is about having

a passion for something and showing it. You

must put your heart in it, work hard and show

interest,” says Mokhabuki.

TO PAGE 48

Mashaba adds that if you have enough interest in something, no one needs to

push you to go further and succeed. “I’ve always had an interest in agriculture,

but my only exposure had been on a basic level, as my parents were farmworkers.

Farming is close to my heart so it doesn’t take effort to try harder.

“I’m not just working because I need the income; I have a passion for this, I can

feel it in my heart. In the packing season there’s no time for sleep. You need to be

passionate about what you do.”

Marshall says it is important from a company perspective to identify people who

have passion, and develop their skills.

“If someone is going to share management responsibilities with you, they must

be able to carry out the tasks that are delegated to them. The more they take on,

the more you give them. And if you have someone who has ambition, then you

must encourage this. It’s to everybody’s benefit: the company and the employee.”

He emphasises the importance of communication in mentoring. “If you don’t

explain to people what’s going on, they get left behind. Tell them often where

you’re going with the business and why you’re doing things in a certain way. When

someone responds to the responsibility, it’s great. There aren’t many people like that

around, so when you find them, nurture them!”

Mokhabuki says she is lucky to have had excellent support. “I displayed a love

for farming so my mentors were even more eager to teach me. The mentoring I

received has brought me to where I am. They taught me everything from doing

leaf and soil analysis to diagnosing a tree if it’s sick. These people have

made me who I am today.”

FROM PAGE 47

As packhouse manager, Iris Mashaba is

in charge of one million 4 kg-trays of

avocados in a season.

Both women are studying part-time

for agriculture-related degrees to en-

hance their skills.

Email Iris Mashaba at twycrosspack-

ers@xwi.co.za, or Dineo Mokhabuki at

dineo@halls.co.za.