From 400 to 30 000 eggs a day: Lebo creates 60 jobs

KWAGGAFONTEIN – There was a time when Lebogang Mashigo pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with eggs through Vlaaglaagte 1, selling them to make a living. Today, that humble beginning has grown into a commercial poultry business producing 30 000 eggs a day and employing 60 people.

On Tuesday, 18 August 2026, Mashigo’s journey reached another milestone when the Mpumalanga Provincial Government officially handed over fully automated poultry layer infrastructure to her business, Eggsellent by Lebo Pty Ltd, in Kwaggafontein.

Following the official opening at the farm, the formal proceedings moved to a packed community hall, where community members came in numbers to witness and celebrate Mashigo’s success journey. Among them were several Eggsellent resellers who are now earning a living by selling eggs supplied by the business.

Speaking at the handover, Mpumalanga MEC for Department of Agriculture ,Rural Development Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) Brenda Khethiwe Moeketsi used Mashigo’s journey to encourage women and other entrepreneurs to become self-reliant and pursue business ownership opportunities.

“Our generation has its own responsibility. We must advance economic freedom for women. As a government we are intentional about it. Our continuous pursuit is to see more and more women receive support through finance, infrastructure, access to markets and productive enterprises ownership,” Moeketsi said.

She encouraged women to participate in agriculture and move beyond being employees to becoming owners across the agricultural value chain.

“We want to see more women move from being workers within agriculture to becoming owners. We want women owning farms. We want women owning processing businesses. We want women owning logistic companies. We want women developing agricultural technologies. We want women employing other women and young people,” she said.

Moeketsi said Women’s Month should not only celebrate the struggles women have overcome, but should also focus on expanding their economic opportunities.

“And you, Lebo, are helping us to demonstrate exactly what that can look like,” she said.

She added that while the project belongs to Mashigo, its economic impact extends to the surrounding community through the jobs and opportunities it has created.

Moeketsi also urged residents to protect the infrastructure, saying government had invested public resources in the business because of its potential to contribute to the development of Kwaggafontein, Thembisile Hani and surrounding areas.

For Mashigo, the achievement is the result of years of persistence and support from various institutions.

“I used to sit in my corner with eggs and use a wheelbarrow as my source of transport to sell my eggs. I then reached out to Thembisile Hani Local Municipality for funding. I went to the NYDA office, that is where I got assistance. They first funded me, then after seeing the progress, I reached out to the Department of Agriculture including other stakeholders, to mention a few, the National Empowerment Fund and the National Environmental Fund. That is when everything started,” Mashigo said.

She acknowledged that the journey was not always easy.

“What I would say is that my journey was not easy. It had a lot of hiccups. I nearly gave up, but having the potential and knowing where I am coming from kept me going and uplifted my spirit,” she said.

Mashigo said the new infrastructure had taken the business to another level.

“Today I am happy to announce that they built this magnificent state-of-the-art layer infrastructure for eggs. So far the business is growing well and I have employed sixty people, twenty of them are in permanent positions,” she said.

DARDLEA HOD Mfana Chunda said the department was proud of Mashigo’s growth from a backyard farmer producing 400 eggs a day to a commercial farmer producing 30 000 eggs a day.

He said the project was funded through a blended finance model called AgroFund, in partnership with the National Empowerment Fund (NEF).

Ikosi Robert Mahlangu of Ndzundza Somphalali in Kwaggafontein said Mashigo first presented her business idea to the traditional authority during Youth Month in June 2022 in KwaMhlanga.

He said the traditional authority later visited her backyard operation and decided to provide her with a piece of land at no cost to develop the business.

Mahlangu urged the community to protect the enterprise from vandalism, saying it would provide livelihoods while helping to address unemployment in the area.

National Empowerment Fund CEO Mzimuhle Dayimani said the NEF and DARDLEA  had combined funding of approximately R30 million for the construction of chicken houses and the provision of equipment and vehicles.

He said compliance requirements, including Environmental Impact Assessments, could be demanding but were important as they opened opportunities for businesses to supply major retailers such as Boxer and SPAR.

Dayimani encouraged young people and women interested in funding to approach the NEF office in Mbombela or apply through its website.