Seven top achievers in the South African deciduous fruit industry received awards for their excellence on the night of Friday 16 September, at a gala event in Somerset West.
The awards went to:
- Charmaine Scholtz, Specialist Agricultural Worker of the Year;
- Sivuyile Maguga Solitswayi and Irene Jansen, joint General Agricultural Worker of the Year;
- Earl Loxton, New Entrant of the Year;
- Dr. Piet Stassen, Innovator of the Year;
- Jack van Dyk, O.S.H. Reinecke Industry Leader of the Year; and
- Engela Duvenage, received the Izethelo Media Award.
This year the judges decided to give the General Agricultural Worker of the Year Award to two worthy recipients: Sivuyile Maguga Solitswayi from the farm Bronaar in the Koue Bokkeveld and Irene Jansen from Wilhelm de Kock Boerdery near Worcester.
From left to right: Charmaine Scholtz, Specialist Agricultural Worker of the Year; Irene Jansen, General Agricultural Worker of the Year; Earl
Loxton, New Entrant of the Year; Jack van Dyk, O.S.H. Reinecke Industry Leader of the Year; Engela Duvenage received the Izethelo Media Award; Sivuyile Maguga Solitswayi, General Agricultural Worker of the Year. Dr Piet Stassen, Innovator of the Year could not attend the event.
Solitswayi is one of the true heroes of the deciduous fruit industry without whom growers would not be able to manage. He is one of the multitude of general workers who, like human machines, pick fruit, prune trees and thin flowers. What distinguishes Solitswayi from other workers is that his productivity levels are twice that of any other general worker. Not only that, he is accurate and works at a phenomenal pace.
Solitswayi joined Bronaar in 2013 and according to his manager he is always motivated and sets high goals for himself. “Maguga is motivated and ensures that he does his work right the first time. He is by far Bronaar’s best and fastest fruit picker. Maguga is an excellent example for his co-workers and a great asset in our business. Bronaar would like to salute Maguga for his excellent service.”
In turn, Irene Jansen started her young life with many challenges. She grew up in the Steinthal Orphanage at Tulbagh and is a single parent. But against all odds, Jansen is carving out a bright future for herself in the agricultural sector.
Jansen’s colleagues describe her as a born leader and an excellent example for her co-workers.
“Irene is active in almost all the farm programmes such as the women’s choir, the mixed choir and an outreach group. She even initiated a board-game group for women on the farm. She also loves to bake and regularly arrives at work with sweet treats for everyone.”
During the season, Jansen is involved in quality control and the manipulation of young orchards.
The other workers know that she is always available to answer questions and to mentor them.
According to her manager, it is not often that one comes across someone with such a positive attitude. “Even though life dealt Irene a tough hand, she gets up every morning and spreads joy wherever she goes. She has a bright career in agriculture ahead of her.”
Charmaine Scholtz, Specialist Farm Worker of the Year, is a qualified teacher who decided to throw her energy into agriculture. Scholtz, who started her professional life at Remhoogte near Ceres as a youth worker, was soon bitten by the fruit bug and asked to be moved to the fruit section, where she started as a general worker. Today she is the junior human resources manager on the farm.
“Charmaine is one of those people who grab every opportunity that presents itself. She loves people, has an excellent work ethic and is someone we can always rely on in our business,” said Marina du Toit, her manager.
Earl Loxton, New Entrant of the Year, is busy making his mark as a successful commercial grower in the Northern Cape. In 2011, Loxton, who obtained his diploma in agriculture at Elsenburg, was awarded plot 593 in the Eksteensvlei community, outside Keimoes.
When Loxton arrived there, the vineyards were old, neglected and in a poor condition. The plot was not profitable and Loxton started a renewal programme. Currently, he has 35 hectares of raisin grapes and 7.5 hectares of wine grapes. Loxton is planning to diversify while he is growing other crops to generate cash. For the past three years, Loxton also formed part of the Dried Fruit Technical Services Jobs Fund development programme. Through this initiative, he planted another 9.3 hectares of raisin grapes.
Dr Piet Stassen, Innovator of the Year, was honoured for his contribution as a scientist and researcher, spanning the past 45 years. Stassen’s work in various agricultural spheres can be described as pioneering and groundbreaking and his research protocols are applied locally as well as internationally. He is currently evaluating rootstocks for the stone fruit industry.
The O.S.H. Reinecke Industry Leader Award went to Jack van Dyk, for his outstanding work in labour law in the fruit industry. Van Dyk was a public prosecutor and magistrate before he entered the fruit industry in 1982. He was a founding member and for many years the chairman of the Cape Agri Employers’ Organisation. Even though he is now retired, Van Dyk still plays an important role in the Laborie Dialogue Initiative, which tackles sensitive labour and rural issues.
Freelance science writer Engela Duvenage, received the Izethelo Award for media excellence. Duvenage was recognised for her contributions in making agri-science more accessible to the general public.
The Deciduous Fruit Gala Event has been held annually for the past 41 years.
For more information:
Esté Beerwinkel
Tel: 063 411 2878