An emerging cattle farmers’ co-op, in the Theewaterskloof Municipality, is receiving funding and
business support from Klipheuwel Wind Farm to help the group improve the standard of the herd,
which will drive income for the co-op to become more sustainable and thereby stimulate local job
creation.
Gougakhoi Stock and Crop Co-op, in the Riviersondered area, started in 2011, with the hope of
breeding cattle for market, reared on land leased from the local municipality. Farmer Vernon
Hendricks, Co-Op Board Secretary, explains that the funding will provide fencing and other needed
infrastructure as well as provide business training over the next period, to help sustain growth.
“Our dilapidated fencing, which has allowed our cattle to break out and cause trouble as well as be a
danger to road-users, can now be replaced,” he said.
This is the third agricultural project that Klipheuwel Wind Farm is funding, as it is at the heart of its
enterprise development programme. It is committed to support sustainable local developments in
the wind farm’s surrounding communities who require assistance to increase their chances of
success. To this end, the wind farm has identified agriculture as one of the sectors that can drive the
development within Theewaterskloof communities, whilst helping to contribute towards food
security in the surrounds.
“With the right support and mentoring, emerging farmers of outlying communities such as the
Gougakhoi Co-op, can grow, create jobs and benefit community members through local
employment,” explained Hlengiwe Radebe, Economic Development Director for Klipheuwel Wind
Farm.
The farmers are currently rearing a mix breed of Hereford and Jersey cattle, but their plan is to
improve their beef production by introducing Nguni cattle, known for hardiness, resistance to
disease and adverse weather conditions and to cross another breed to improve the meat quality and
other important traits.
The Klipheuwel Wind Farm’s enterprise development programme looks to empower small
enterprises, within the Theewaterskloof Municipality’s communities of Botriver, Tesselaarsdal,
Riversonderend, Greyton, Genadendal, Villiersdorp, Grabouw, Caledon, Hermanus and Kleinmond.
