RYAN CHIGOCHE
Terry Maphosa, a 29-year old farmer has taken social media by storm as he posts about the fruits of his hard labour from his rural home in Mhondoro-Ngezi, about 170km from the capital, Harare.
A year-and-a-half after graduating from college, circumstances pushed Maphosa to start breeding and selling indigenous chicken breeds, known as roadrunners at his rural home.
With a capital injection of US$400, his business has grown over the years and is producing an average of 20 000 day-old chicks per month and is now supplying road runner and broiler meat across many parts of Zimbabwe.
“I never thought that I would be doing poultry farming but I tried it now I will never look for a job. In whatever you do, if you work hard it will eventually pay off,” said Maphosa, known as The Prince Machiavelli on Twitter.
He has also ventured into broiler farming for a community-based project. Driven by his motto “All your hard work will pay off”, Maphosa advised youths that they must not cry over the high unemployment rate in the country but rather work with the available resources so long it is not a crime.
“We are not all called to be farmers but we were all born to be successful. Therefore whatever you set your heart at and put effort and hard work it will eventually pay off,” Maphosa said.
“Yes, education is good but, think of the number of graduates that are being churned out annually. After graduating youths should not wait for jobs but be experimental and try to do different projects you never know.”
His community project has raised the ire of critics who feel that he is using the chicken project as a launchpad for political office as the 2023 elections beckons.
In politics, Niccolo Machiavelli is the famed Italian political philosopher whose seminal work, The Prince, is the toolbox on how to acquire or retain political power.
Despite calling himself Machiavelli on social media, Maphosa said he is not eyeing any political office.
“We must help people because it is the right thing, not because we want a favour; that is why most politicians fail,” he said.
“People who are selling the narrative that we will see a poster in 2023 written Terry for MP or for councillor can forget. I have enough pressure right now I don’t want to add to it with being involved in politics or have any social position.”
He said he was not a political project for any party.
“You don’t need to have a political position for you to be able to help. We are not all born to be leaders. I don’t need any social position. We help because it is good. A person must not eye a political position just because of recently found fame,” he said.
Maphosa believes the people in his rural area of Mhondoro-Ngezi have realised that it is possible to commercialise poultry farming by imparting knowledge to them.
Apart from rearing chickens, Maphosa is also involved in crop farming.
He focuses on corn, sunflowers, sorghum, and soya crops as a means to reduce the costs of buying feeds.
Indigenous chickens have gained popularity among Zimbabweans as they offer a healthier organic option and a business opportunity.
