To: Hon. Siyabonga Gama
uMkhonto weSizwe [MK] Party Whip & Member of Parliament [MP]

Dear Hon. Gama,

I write to you in my personal capacity as a South African citizen and former Transnet Freight Rail employee who benefited directly from your leadership during your tenure at the organisation. Although you now serve in Parliament, your earlier service to the nation left a lasting impression on me, and I wished to formally convey my thanks and share a brief reflection on where that journey has since led.

At the time, I was a young train assistant at Transnet Freight Rail, working on the ground - one of many faces in the operational tiers of the organisation.

I still vividly recall the day you and your EXCO team left the Carlton Centre and came down to the Bluff in Durban. You took the time to walk the shop floor, to hear directly from those of us on the ground, and to truly listen to the “grasshoppers’ jump,” as Raymond Ackerman once put it.

In that meeting, I was one of the few who got to speak. You graciously allowed me to share my perspective, even as I began with a touch of youthful humour, mimicking the sound of a 24-wheel truck. Instead of dismissing it, you paused, listened, and engaged with what I shared. That single moment left a lasting imprint on me.

Whilst many across our nation rightly applaud your leadership in turning Transnet Freight Rail from a loss-making entity into the largest contributor to the group’s financial performance, I join in that salute from a more personal vantage point. I had caught a glimpse of how that turnaround was achieved. Our paths crossed in a way that gave me a front-row seat to your innovation, demonstrated black excellence, public servanthood, industrialist acumen, and stewardship of a critical state-owned asset.

Fast forward to today: that young train assistant has become a leader in the ICT and agri-tech sector. I now serve as the co-founder and CEO of eFama, a platform connecting thousands of farmers directly to buyers. Our work spans technology, trade, and food systems, and has been recognised by global institutions and international forums, including the BRICS ecosystem. In many ways, the leadership values I carry today were shaped early on by examples such as yours.


Our work has been backed by leading global technology and financial institutions, including Google, Amazon, Meta, and Visa - support that has allowed us to build independently, with discipline and scale in mind.

Just last week, I experienced a deeply humbling full-circle moment. A depot manager from Mpumalanga applied to join eFama, seeking market access for a farming venture he is building. In my Transnet days, a depot manager sat many tiers above my rank. To now be in a position where leaders at that level seek support from a platform I help lead moved me profoundly. It reminded me how quietly, but powerfully, the seeds planted years ago can mature.

As you mark your second year as a Member of Parliament since joining the National Assembly on 28 August 2024, and continue to serve on the Trade, Industry and Competition Portfolio Committee - alongside your other responsibilities - I was struck by an image. An oak tree wears many hats and serves many functions: shade, shelter, strength, continuity. Yet it remains the same tree, rooted and steady. Your transition from industry leadership into public office feels much the same: the same oak, offering stewardship through a different function, without missing a beat.

That continuity of leadership is something I deeply respect. I would welcome the opportunity to reconnect and share some of the bold initiatives we are building — initiatives I believe would resonate with your lifelong commitment to trade, industry, and meaningful economic participation.

Thank you once again for your enduring contribution. Should the opportunity arise, it would be an honour to meet you in person and convey my thanks directly.

Here’s to continued impact.

Warm Regards,
Shadrack Kubyane