Kirkwood farmer among SA’s ‘MegaBoere’

For nearly 40 years, farming has been Kirkwood farmer Hannes Joubert’s passion, and now that passion has landed him a spot on one of South Africa’s most popular agricultural television shows. Joubert, 61, and his farm Habata in the Sunday’s River Valley, will be featured on MegaBoere, an Afrikaans reality television programme that features some of South Africa’s most successful farmers, their businesses and the challenges they faced in growing their thriving enterprises. “I never expected to be featured on MegaBoere ,” the farmer said. “We are just out here, doing what we love, and if that is enough to land us on the show, then I am thrilled. “I am truly honoured to have been chosen for the show.” He began farming citrus near Kirkwood in 1978 on 40ha. His enterprise has expanded to an assortment of fruit, including various citrus cultivars, melons and grapes, across a number of farms totalling about 2 000ha, and even includes land near Robertson in the Western Cape. The company employs more than 1 000 people and the fruit grown under the Habata brand is exported around the world, including to Europe, Russia, Asia and the Middle East. The first episode of MegaBoere will air on October 5, and the third season will follow the recipe that made the first two seasons a huge hit on Afrikaans channel KykNet.