DAFF Female Entrepreneur Award winners announced

The awards are part of the department's contribution during women's month in line with the theme; "Harnessing women's talent for sustainable food security: A vision beyond 2030."

In her congratulatory remarks, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said that the event takes place at a time when our country needed all the resources possible to make food security a priority. "I am calling upon all our finalists sitting here today and to the rest of women folks involved in agriculture to familiarise themselves with the priorities of the government for economic development," said the Minister. She further emphasised that DAFF will continue its campaign of recognising and empowering women as contributors to food security and agricultural development.

In her address to the nominees, the GM of sales and marketing of Total South Africa, Pansy Mekwa, said that the public-private partnership with the department is a good vehicle in the empowerment of women. She further made reference to the 2010 overall winner, Mavis Mathabatha, who started with 12 moringa trees and has now expanded her plantation by 7500 trees in a 15ha orchard, and is exporting crushed moringa, powder moringa and moringa capsules to Indonesia, the US and the UK.

Starts at a provincial level

This competition starts at a provincial level where all nine provincial departments of agriculture participate in the different categories, which culminates in the main gala event. The programme aims to encourage and increase the participation of women, youths and people with disabilities in the sector.

The awards categories and winners are:

• Best Female Worker in the Sector: Siphiwe Machika from Gauteng;
  
• Best Subsistence Producer in the Sector: Kenalemang Olga Kgoroeadira from North West;
  
• Top Entrepreneur in the Sector, Smallholder: Lungelwa Kama from the Eastern Cape;
  
• Top Entrepreneur Processing in the Sector: Mpho Rosy Molete-Matlanyane from the Free State;
  
• <>Top Female Entrepreneur in the Sector, Commercial: Thandi Cynthia Mokwena from Mpumalanga;
  
• Top Entrepreneur in the Sector, Export Markets: Nomzamo Khoza from KwaZulu-Natal ;
  
• Top Entrepreneur National Markets: Maria Malan from the Northern Cape; and
  
• Minister's Special Awards: (recognise young entrepreneurs and/or persons with disability in the sector) Josephine Mabyalwa Raserope-Rikhotso from Limpopo. The award also went to Nobuhle Mthembu from KwaZulu-Natal. The winner in the youth section is Preline Swart of the Western Cape.

The 2013/14 Overall Winner of these categories went to Nomzamo Khoza from KwaZulu-Natal. The reigning farmer will be in this position up until August 2014 when the new overall winner will be announced.