PRESS RELEASE
Stephan Beukes of Dennegeur Farms in Grabouw has been named the 2026 Western Cape Farmer of the Year by Agricultural Writers SA’s !Xhariep region. Behind the prestigious award is a farming operation that has grown production, strengthened export performance and invested in people, infrastructure and environmental sustainability, even in the face of major setbacks.
Angelo Marman of Abitz Farming in Abottsdale and Ikamva Lethu Farms in the Sundays River Valley took top honours as Western Cape and Eastern Cape New Entrant to Commercial Farming of the Year, respectively. This category recognises farmers who have transitioned from small-scale, part-time, or non-traditional backgrounds into successful commercial operations.
The winners were announced at an awards function held on Friday evening at Durbanville Hills, sponsored by Nedbank. In his keynote address, Agri Western Cape CEO Jannie Strydom painted a picture of an agricultural sector that is a powerful economic engine for the province, driving exports, creating jobs and sustaining livelihoods from farm gates to global markets.
Farmer of the Year: Stephan Beukes, Dennegeur Farms
Stephan Beukes is a third-generation farmer from Grabouw. Since becoming CEO in 2019, he has expanded Dennegeur through the acquisition of Vredenhof and Applethwaite. The enterprise now farms 455.65ha of orchards, backed by investment in storage, packing, energy resilience and leadership capacity.
Beukes treats resilience as a management discipline. After the devastating 2023 flood, crop protection spray coverage was restored within 72 hours and irrigation across the orchards within two months. Careful irrigation planning, energy monitoring, market diversification and regular financial reviews strengthen the business further.
Orchard practices include groundcover, recycled biomass, alien vegetation clearing and rehabilitation with indigenous species. The Dennegeur Foundation supports childcare, education, health, counselling and retirement initiatives, and peak employment reaches 1 067 people.
Western Cape New Entrant: Angelo Marman, Abitz Farming
Angelo Marman started out as a child, growing and selling vegetables in soil enriched with donkey-manure compost. After a diploma in agriculture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and a stint at the PPECB, he began farming with five tilapia in his Malmesbury backyard. He named the venture Vyf Vissies en ’n Blaartjie, after the biblical multiplication of loaves and fish.
Income from the fish funded vegetable production on a municipal plot, which he also turned into a training centre for children and small-scale farmers. Limited land and water led him to rent an 8ha farm near Chatsworth, which he bought in 2025. Today about 8ha is under organic vegetables, run as a circular system with pigs and poultry.
Marman secures markets before planting, staggers production and aggregates produce from neighbouring growers. The farm employs about 13 people and hosts more than 60 Social Employment Fund participants for seven days a month.
Eastern Cape New Entrant: Ikamva Lethu Farms
Ikamva Lethu, meaning “Our future”, is a new commercial citrus enterprise in the Sundays River Valley. Many local producers wanted to create economic opportunities for their workforces, but their farms were too small to divide without harming their viability. Instead, 17 producers and the Sundays River Citrus Company (SRCC) pooled resources to build a new enterprise at commercial scale.
It is a true greenfield development on previously undeveloped land. Environmental approvals and water rights had to be secured before water-transfer and storage infrastructure, roads and irrigation could be built. Ikamva Lethu now has producing orchards, a growing internal management team and a defined path to full production.
‘They are building something bigger than their own farms’
Marike Brits, chairperson of Agricultural Writers SA’s !Xhariep region, said this year’s winners show how far good farming practices reaches beyond the farm gate.
“Each of this year’s winners is building something bigger than their own farm,” said Brits.
“Stephan Beukes has shown what disciplined leadership and resilience look like after a disaster, while keeping more than a thousand people employed at peak season. Angelo Marman started with five fish in a backyard and now runs a circular organic farm that opens doors for others. Ikamva Lethu proves that when producers pool their resources, transformation and commercial success can grow together.”
“As agricultural writers, it is our privilege to tell these stories. They remind South Africans that agriculture is about food, jobs, land and the future of our communities.”
ENDS
About Agricultural Writers SA
Agricultural Writers SA was established in 1977 to promote high standards in agricultural journalism and strengthen understanding of agriculture in South Africa. It represents journalists across print, broadcast and online media, and supports professional development, responsible reporting, press freedom and stronger links between agriculture, the media and society. Its annual Farmer of the Year competition recognises outstanding farmers and their contribution to South African agriculture.
Media contact
Marike Brits
Chairperson, !Xhariep Agricultural Writers SA
+27 72 185 5157 | marike.brits@netafim.orbia.com
Ivor Price
Deputy Chairperson !Xhariep Agricultural Writers SA
+27 63 891 5846 | ivor@foodformzansi.co.za