“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” – Psalm 23

Ntwenhle Linda

Category

Agriculture
 

Organisation / Company

Qandalami

 

Position

Poultry layer farmer | Director

 

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Profile

With her origins in a sugar cane farm in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, Ntwenhle Linda, 31, never imagined she would return to her roots through agriculture. Trained in consumer science and formerly a corporate buyer at a top retail group, her path was altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Back home, she began raising 50 chickens in her backyard. She runs Qandalami, a 10 000- layer commercial egg farm. As co-director, Linda is both a leader and hands-on operator. She oversees animal welfare, supply chain management, financials and team train- ing. Her work is grounded in sustainability, empowerment and service, creating employment for 10 people and training 50 aspiring farmers. Mentored by industry veteran Robbie Kruger, she navigated an often-exclusionary sector as a young black woman. Ntwenhle was the winner of the Entrepreneur Programme (University of KwaZulu-Natal and MIT). Outside of farming, she leads Gals That Brunch Durban, a wellness initiative for young women that fosters emotional well- being. She believes young leaders must redefine agriculture through technology and inclusive growth. She urges policymakers to remove barriers to entry and equip rural youth with land, training and funding.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Consumer Science degree, University of Pretoria
  • Short courses and training programmes in Agribusiness and Poultry Production, including the Commercial Layers course, KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute
  • Completed an entrepreneurship and leadership short course as part of the Entrepreneur Programme, led by the iLembe Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, accredited by the University of KwaZulu-Natal Graduate School of Business and Leadership and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Achievements

  • Scaled Qandalami Poultry from a backyard operation with 50 chickens to a commercial, tech-driven farm with 10 000 layers
  • Successfully project-managed the inception, construction and full implementation of the layer farm
  • Won first place in the Entrepreneur Programme, led by UKZN and MIT
  • Created employment for 10 people
  • Trained 50 aspiring farmers

Mentors

I deeply admire my mother for her resilience, strength and passion for agriculture. She has always viewed farming as a source of life, feeding mouths. There isn’t a day that goes by without her in the garden. Even after our family experienced deep loss, she rebuilt from the ground up. Our home has always been a food hub for the community, selling vegetables and chickens, often on credit, to support locals in times of need. That spirit of service and generosity is embedded in how I run my business today. A transformative mentor in my journey has been Robbie Kruger, my chicken supplier and an experienced white Afrikaans farmer. He took me under his wing and taught me the ropes in an industry that is traditionally closed off to young black women. His practical, real-world guidance gave me insights no textbook ever could. Having someone like Robbie believe in me and back me up was pivotal to my success, making the difference between surviving and thriving. I also seek to inspire women to enter the agricultural space, breaking barriers and rewriting the narrative of what a farmer looks like.