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Market Run: The Road to Joburg MARKET RUN MARKET RUN The Road to Joburg

Grow it. Load the bakkie. Sell it at the City Deep Market.

Gogo Nomsa has left you Thandanani, a small farm on the Highveld, and a R12 000 loan from the co-op bank. Grow vegetables, drive them to City Deep and get a fair price for every crate. You have 30 days to pay the bank.

  • Download on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play

Out first on iPhone, iPad and Android. Mac, Windows and Apple TV versions come later. Get an email on release day.

The farmer stands on the stoep of Gogo Nomsa's farmhouse at dawn, with a dog nearby. The to-do note says: harvest Gogo's spinach.
Day 1 at Thandanani. Gogo left two fields ready to harvest.
05:15

Read the paper before you plant

Every morning the paper tells you what moved the market overnight. Some news comes a day early, so you have time to plant for it or hold stock back.

05:30

Six fields at Thandanani

You start with three fields and two packets of seed. Water in the morning, pull the weeds, chase off pests, and harvest before the crop goes over. Clear the bush for three more fields when you can afford it.

Each crop has its own trade-off between price, speed and how long it keeps.

Three fields in late afternoon light: tomato plants, a field of cabbages and freshly tilled soil. Bush covers the ground where field 5 can be cleared for R1 300.
Tomatoes, cabbages and a field ready to plant. Field 5 costs R1 300 to clear.

  • Tomatoes 4 days

    The market's favourite. Pricey, but bruise easily and don't keep long.

  • Spinach 2 days

    Quick to grow, quick to wilt. Hawkers and school kitchens love it.

  • Cabbages 3 days

    Dependable and hardy. Every township kitchen needs cabbage.

  • Butternut 5 days

    Slow to grow but keeps for ages. Store it until the price is right.

  • Potatoes 5 days

    Big yields, long shelf life. Spaza shops buy them by the bag.

  • Green mielies 4 days

    Sweet green maize for the braai. Prices jump on long weekends.

Things to save for

Bakkie canopy & racks
R2 200
Shade-net tunnels
R2 600
Drip irrigation
R3 200
Cold room
R3 800
Solar floodlights
R2 800
Second-hand 4-ton truck
R9 500
05:40

Keep left, mind the potholes

Driving the white bakkie down a two-lane road toward the Joburg skyline, past pylons and acacia trees. The HUD reads Thandanani to City Deep Market, 0 bumps.
Thandanani to City Deep Market. No bumps yet.

Load the bakkie with up to 12 crates and drive into town. South Africa drives on the left: overtake slow trucks when the right lane is clear, and steer around potholes. Every one you hit bruises a crate, and bruised crates sell for less.

Fit a canopy to carry 20 crates, or save for the 4-ton truck and carry 32. If you'd rather not drive today, skip the drive.

06:45

Sell to an agent, or haggle it yourself

At the City Deep Market, market agents sell your crates at the going rate and take a commission. Buyers on the floor will pay more if you can agree on a price before they lose patience and walk off.

Check the price board, fill orders from the notice board, and grab a kota before you head home.

The farmer beside the bakkie in the market car park. Behind them are the orders board, stacked crates and the price board.
The car park at City Deep, with the orders board and price board behind.

Three agents, three ways to sell

  • Mzansi Fresh Agents

    Bongani

    Fair, fast and friendly. Sells everything at the going rate.

  • Van der Berg & Seuns

    Hennie

    Old-school agency. Pays a premium for grade A, but is picky about the rest.

  • Ubuntu Produce

    Nomvula

    Supplies township hawkers and school kitchens. Pays extra for leafy greens and veg.

Who's buying on the floor today

  • ! I run a in Soweto. 4 crates of cabbage for R78 each?

    Spaza shop owner

  • Only grade A for my kitchen. 3 crates of tomatoes, R150 each?

    Restaurant chef

  • ! I take produce back to Maseru. 5 crates of potatoes, R96 each?

    Cross-border trader

  • I sell at Bree taxi rank. I need 3 crates of spinach. I can pay R70 a crate.

    Street hawker
08:00

Make friends with the other farmers

Other farmers are working the same market. Stop for a chat, bring them a crate they love, and they'll help you out: spare racks for the bakkie, seed packets, a word with the agents. Tap the underlined words to learn the local lingo.

Oom Koos van Wyk

Tomatoes, from Tzaneen, Limpopo

Friendship perks

    18:30

    R12 000 by day 30

    Gogo's loan from the co-op bank is due on day 30. Miss it and the bank gives you 14 more days, with a R1 000 penalty on top.

    Time only passes while you play. Menus, conversations and a closed app all stop the clock, so you can put it down mid-morning and pick it up again at the same minute.

    Once the loan is paid, the farm is yours. The notebook keeps goals for the long run.

    Notebook goals

    • Pay off Gogo's loan
    • Buy your first farm upgrade
    • Grow a crop in rich soil
    • Make three good friends
    • Farm all six fields
    • Sell 10 grade-A crates
    • Earn R3 000 in one day
    • Complete 5 orders
    • Buy the 4-ton truck
    • Become a market legend
    20:00

    Play the first 30 days free

    Your first 30 game days cost nothing, and the farm stays saved. To keep going, unlock the full farm with one payment and carry on where you left off. There are no ads. Tips are optional and don't change anything in the game.

    Where you can play, and with what
    DeviceControlsAvailable
    iPhone and iPadTouch, on-screen joystick, or a Bluetooth controllerAt launch
    Android phones and tabletsTouch, on-screen joystick, or a Bluetooth controllerAt launch
    Mac and WindowsKeyboard and mouse, or a USB or Bluetooth controllerLater
    Apple TVSiri Remote, or a controllerLater