Busisiwe Ngomane is the sole director and shareholder of Gugu Mshika Enterprise. After she was retrenched in retrenched from her job as an Executive Assistant in 2018, Busisiwe saw the opportunity to relocate from Johannesburg, back to her home in Mangweni Village, Mpumalanga. Her passion for farming began with a small backyard garden in which she aimed to feed her small family. Time spent sowing seeds in her vegetable garden gradually became her therapy to cope with depression during the COVID-19 lockdown. Upon harvest time, community members began showing interest in purchasing her products. This was the moment Busisiwe realised her opportunity to join agripreneurship. Her business grew from supplying community members to schools.

Some of the challenges she faced at the start of her entrepreneurship journey were attaining capital and adequate infrastructure. Over the years, she has managed to procure business loans that have helped her expand, secure better equipment, and yield more crops. The challenges in farming, however, could not prepare her for the flood that destroyed her first large batch of crops.
Busisiwe joined the Small Business Enrichment Programme in 2021. She reflects on how the programme greatly assisted her with her presentation skills. The presentation sessions with colleagues and adjudicators allowed her to grow her confidence, which went beyond the programme. The module that she found highly impactful in how she conducts business was Financial Management and Costing. She has since learnt strategies on costing, profitability, budgeting and recording spending. These are strategies that she still utilises in her business to date.

One of her proudest moments was graduating from the Small Business Enrichment Programme at the prestigious University of Johannesburg. Simultaneously with the programme, she underwent mentorship with Growth Firm, which was appointed to coach and guide the entrepreneurs. She is grateful for the guidance of City Sekoane for further honing her business skills in agriculture. One of the milestones her business achieved was winning first prize among 40 participants in the SanParks Pitch and Perfect Competition. She currently has 20 learners placed on the farm for practicals to complete their NQF Level 4 qualifications. Busi expresses how farming is a challenging industry with circumstances that may be out of one’s control, yet it is so meaningful and fulfilling.