When North West farmer and businessman, Ben Otukile, patiently sat in his car for over an hour for this interview, he demonstrated the level of dedication and commitment that characterises his agricultural and mining empire.

This A-student heads up Otukile and Sons Farming, an enterprise that cultivates maize, soybeans, dry beans, and sunflowers. But his operation based in Licthenburg, North West is not limited to crops and livestock.

He also owns and manages Otukile and Sons (Pty) Ltd, a 100% black-owned company specialising in engineering asset management solutions for the mining sector. This is part one of his interview featured in our farmer mentor podcast.