Case Study

Esta Titus
Senior Financial Manager, Karsten Farms

The headquarters of the Karsten Group is at Roepersfontein on the Southern bank of the Orange River at Kanoneiland. Piet and BabsieKarsten started farming in 1968 on Kanoneiland and over the past forty years the Karsten Group has grown into a huge enterprise which includes fruit farms and packing facilities located in both the Orange River and Western Cape as well as in Egypt, with logistical operations and an import and distribution business in the United Kingdom.

Despite the international nature of their business, it is clear that Karsten Farms believe strongly in empowering their own people. Esta Titus is a true example of this process, as through a lifetime of association with the Karsten family, from humble origins she has gradually moved up in the organisation and at the age of 38 holds the position of Senior Financial Manager. Esta is warm, unaffected and easy to chat to. “I was born on here on Kanoneiland. My father was a farm worker and my mother worked in the home of Mrs.BabsKarsten’s parents. I attended high school in Keimoes and matriculated in 1989. After school I spent some time working in the vineyards on Kanoneiland but I realised that I wanted more from life. This prompted me to move to Cape Town where I worked in a clothing factory and saved every extra cent that I could as I wanted to study further.

“Between 1993 and 1994 I completed a secretarial course at the Upington College. I hoped that this would enable me to get a better position and returned to Cape Town to look for a job. I was unsuccessful and returned home after two months. When I returned, I was quite dejected but I heard from my father that there was an opportunity as a wage clerk at Karsten’s offices. In May 1995 I started working as a wage clerk and, although I was not working for the Karsten group, I was working for another member of the Karstens family here on the premises. I held that job for two years and in the mean time I got to know the admin staff and in 1997 I was appointed in the administration department of the Karsten Group. Initially I started as a wage clerk but was gradually given the responsibility for cash book maintenance as well as debtors and creditors. I held this position for ten years and in 1997 I was appointed as a senior financial officer responsible for wages, debtors, creditors and cashbooks for the entire Karsten Group operations in the Orange River region.

“This is a very responsible job and today my family is very proud of me. This position is a huge honour for me and I never expected that I would hold a job like this. I am the youngest in my family of six and the only girl amongst the farm workers children from our farm to have matriculated. This is quite an achievement when you consider that attending school meant that we had to walk seven kilometres to catch the school bus and seven kilometres back in the afternoons. We had to leave home at 04h30 to be on time and we normally got home by 16h30 to 17h00 in the evenings. I am pleased I persevered though because otherwise I would not have been in the position I am today and I am the only one of my peers to have advanced to this level.

“I am a shareholder in the Karsten Group as I was issued with shares in the Yarona Community Development Trust in 1997. Mr Karsten has the saying that although we are working for Karsten Farms, we are also working for ourselves. For me this is indeed a reality as having shares in the company has given me a different focus and I see my shares as a nest egg for my old age. In June last year the group launched a new equity scheme within the group called Newgro and it is focussed just on women in the group.

“My husband and I live on the farm and we have two children. My husband is a teacher and teaches at our local farm school, Blaskop Intermediary School. Many of the children of the workers at Roepersfontein Farm attend this school and Karsten Farms supports the school in numerous ways, such as sponsoring the vegetable garden project and providing venues for meetings and training sessions on an ongoing basis. Although the youngsters on this property have many opportunities that we did not have as children, it is disappointing to see that in some cases they are just not motivated to pursue these.

“I enjoy my job and my working environment and certainly see further opportunity for myself within the group. In the future I would like to study further as I would like to become a qualified accountant within the Karsten Group. The grape industry has been good to me and I would encourage others to seek opportunities in the grape industry and the broader agricultural sector as there certainly are many. Working in the agricultural sector is indeed a privilege as we work close to nature and our workflow is in synch with the passage of the seasons.”

Louise Brodie (Ochreworks); Grape Stars 2010 Publication.