Zintle Gomo is an inspiration to the youth

Zintle Gomo is an instructor of the Student Practical at the Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute (TARDI) in Tsolo.

She is an example that the youth can follow. Most of the youth of South Africa have not seen the wealth possessed by agriculture which has a variety of sectors.

“The agricultural studies I did in Grootfontein were chosen by my parents, especially my father, they were not chosen by me, but later I fell in love with it because I loved animals,” said Gomo.

It is rare for parents to successfully choose subjects for their children, but the Gomo family managed to convince Zintle.

“In 2010 I was not studying after finishing matric, my father personally applied for me in Grootfontein, I started studying there in 2011,” said Gomo.

After listening and obeying her parents, Gomo studied agriculture in Grootfontein.

“Grootfontein is an agricultural college in Metele, my father would see this college every time he travelled home from Cape Town because he had been working in Cape Town for a long time,” explained Gomo.

The Grootfontein Agricultural College is leading the way in the Eastern Cape in producing crop and livestock farmers, animal care officers and other crop and livestock specialists.

“When we arrived there during the workshop, we were shown around Grootfontein and shown that the education provided there is accompanied by hands-on experience. I grew to love all of this,” said Gomo.

Grootfontein offers lessons in Afrikaans and English, but all of these are done successfully. “The Black students were using English, while the white students were using Afrikaans, all this happened without any problem, we all benefited equally,” explained Gomo.

One of the main programs in Grootfontein is the production of Angora goats which contain wool that is much more valuable than that of sheep.

“In that institution, all aspects related to many methods of crop and livestock farming are taught, when you study there, you leave armed with enough knowledge,” said Gomo.

She said that crop and livestock farming is the best tool to deal with the problems we are facing. “Agriculture will become obsolete no matter what happens, food will always be produced, therefore people will always be employed to produce food,” stated Gomo.

In earlier times, being an agricultural instructor was done by older people because it was believed it was not suitable for young people.

“There is no reason for us to leave the village and go to the city, you can start your own thing in the village because the land is there. Everything starts small, we can do that with the aim of increasing the financial situation of the community,” advised Gomo.

When she met Entsimini, she was with a group of her students from TARDI, immersed in her work as a student practical instructor.

“Part of the studies I have done are those that equip one with ways to start a farming business without going to look for a job,” said Gomo.

Her main advice to farmers who are just starting out is to be diligent in their work with the aim of moving up to the next level.