Mfiki Sokhela is a gentle giant – a big man with an even bigger heart. He works at Emseni Farming and found his spot among the avocado trees where he manages hectares of hectares of export-quality fruit orchards. He plays a major role in food production.
Mfiki is now in his late forties and had tons of inspiring stories to share. I nicknamed him the ‘smiling manager’ because every time we met, he was smiling joyfully. His joy is contagious, and I instantly felt compassion and respect towards him. Those who know and work with him say he is always like that. This is his story of inspiration.
Mfiki got his schooling and training at the KwaSizabantu Mission in KwaZulu-Natal. He was only 17 when he approached the KwaSizabantu management team for piece jobs out of desperation. He is originally from Msinga where work opportunities were, and still are, extremely scarce. His widowed mother had eight children to care for, and their only source of income was to make clay pots to hold beer. They often sold pots with beer in them to earn a living. There was no money for ‘luxuries’ such as schooling.
Mfiki said, “When I first came to KwaSizabantu and saw how the people live here — in harmony and with respect for each other — I said to myself, ‘I want that life!’” He started caring for the cattle on the farm as a herd boy, and after a few years, he began working in the greenhouses with the peppers. From there, he was promoted to management and now works in the avocado orchards. “This is my spot,” he told me, “June is harvesting time, and that is the time I am at my happiest.”
In line with his upbringing, Mfiki worshipped ancestral spirits, but when he converted to Christianity in 1994 after hearing Rev Erlo Stegen’s sermons, it was as if the weights that had pushed him down for so long were lifted from his shoulders. “I have put my old life of ancestral worshipping behind me to follow Jesus, I became a new man, and things started working out for me,” he said.
He later brought his mom to the Mission. He recalls that his fondest memory of her was when she called him to thank him for helping her “to make her life right”. He explained, “My mother said to me before she passed on, ‘Thank you, my son, for bringing me to KwaSizabantu. You did the right thing to bring me here.’”
“KwaSizabantu helps us,” Mfiki said. “They provide us with accommodation and give us food three, even four times per day. We are probably not rich in money, but we have a spiritual richness. That is why I love this place so much. They teach the community how to plant, give them seedlings, and when they harvest their avocados, they (the farmers) bring their avocados to KwaSizabantu, and the Mission sells it for them. The farmers get all the money for their harvest. If this place collapses,” he said, “we will all collapse.”
Mfiki Sokhela never had the opportunity to go to school as a young child and was completely illiterate before he started to work at the KwaSizabantu Mission in KwaZulu-Natal. He learned to speak English as a youngster at the Mission through its Thabitha Adult School when he started working there in 1991. At Thabitha, he learned to read and write in his home language, isiZulu, and he also learned English and how to farm sustainably.
Mfiki is now a manager at Emseni Farming and takes care of its world-class avocado production. He greatly admires his manager, Dietmar Joosten, who is responsible for all the farming projects at Emseni Farming on the premises of KwaSizabantu Mission in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal. It is a huge responsibility because Emseni grows export-quality avocados. Emseni also plants other fruit and vegetables, and is currently one of the biggest pepper producers in the country, with over 11 hectares of peppers. Emseni incorporated beekeeping for pollination and honey production and makes their own compost that is used in fruit orchards.
Mfiki said he has learned all he knows about farming from Dietmar, and the way Dietmar treats his workers is an example to all. “He treats his workers with respect,” he said. “He teaches us with patience and allows us to grow in our work. He creates a positive environment for all the workers and co-workers. And, if one’s work and contribution is valued, it motivates you to improve and maintain good work.”
Rev Erlo Stegen, the founder of the Mission, is another of Mfiki’s heroes. “He is doing so much for the community, and he taught us how to give to others. To me, he is like Caesarea in Acts 10 in the Bible. Caesarea and all his family were devout and gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly to God. It is like that at KwaSizabantu. I watched a sermon of Rev Erlo the other day on video, and my eyes teared up when I suddenly realised that I will probably never hear him preach ever again in person. I see my work now as supporting the work that he started.”
Not only did Mfiki find his spot and a purpose at KwaSizabantu, but also his soulmate! He is happily married, and the couple was blessed with two children. The entire family stays at the farm, which they call their home.
“There is one important thing that I learned from Rev Stegen,” Mfiki concluded, “He always told us to forgive and to give to others. That is how I try to live. To me, KwaSizabantu is like the mountain in Psalm 125: it cannot be shaken and endures forever.
(Article supplied by Devoted magazine. Read Devoted online: https://www.devinepublishers.com/devoted-magazine. For more such stories, follow Devoted on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/devinepublishers/ )
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