The article profiles Rejoice Shozi, a small-scale timber farmer from Empembeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal. As chairperson of the Khulanathi Growers Committee, she has become a leading advocate for community forestry and rural economic development.
Her Journey into Forestry
Rejoice grew up in a farming family where her mother cultivated vegetables and trees while her father grew sugar cane. After inheriting three hectares of land when her father passed away in 2015, she expanded a small eucalyptus plantation started by her mother. She later leased additional unused land from neighbours, growing her forestry operation to six hectares.
