Annual Top Empowerment winners lead SA's transformation

Shining a spotlight on South Africa's significant milestone of 25 years of transformation and economic empowerment, winners in the 18th Annual Top Empowerment Awards were announced on Thursday, 11 April 2019, in Johannesburg.

The Top Empowerment awards recognise South Africa’s best leadership, innovation, and contribution in driving the empowerment agenda to boost the nation’s growth and equity in the economy by delivering exceptional results in the face of challenges

With an expansive career of significant and historical contributions to the transformation and development of South Africa, the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for Empowerment was bestowed upon Former President Kgalema Motlanthe, celebrating and recognising his indelible impact on the evolution and growth of social cohesion.

Watch Former President Kgalema Motlanthe’s acceptance speech: https://topempowerment.co.za/awards/.

The Top Empowerment Conference serves as the nation's leading independent authority in driving the agenda of equal economic participation and offers the ideal platform to map out the future of empowerment and open avenues for businesses into the economic mainstream.

2019 Top Empowerment Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award

● Former President Kgalema Motlanthe

Top Empowered Company: Fast Growth Black-Owned SMME Award

● Majozi Bros Construction

Top Empowered Company: ICT Award

● Itec Tiyende

Top Empowered Influencer of 2019 Award

● Buyisiwe Audrey Khoza, Inqaba Yokulinda

Top Empowered Young Achiever of the Year Award (under 40 Years)

● Thembelihle Mjaji - Mbatha, Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency

Top Empowered Company: Infrastructure Award

● Calgro M3 Developments

Top Empowered Company: Enterprise and Supplier Development Award

● Turner & Townsend

Top Empowered: Youth Employment Services Initiative Award

● Nyawo Construction

Top Empowered Company: Socio-Economic Development Award

● Transnet Port Terminals

Top Empowered Company: Skills Development Award

● Life Healthcare Group

Top Empowered Company: Education & Training Award

● Motheo Tvet College

Top Empowered Entrepreneur of 2019 Award

● Liyanda Handula, Masithuthuke Holdings

Top Empowered Business of the Year Award

● Etion

Top Empowered Business Leader of the Year Award

● Mthoko Mbatha, Spring Lights Gas

Reflecting on the past 25 years of economic transformation, Top Empowerment Summit supports, facilitates and leverages South Africa's public and private sectors' capacity to unlock the potential that exists within black-owned and managed businesses that operate within the South African economy. Through deliberate, targeted and well-defined interventions, public discussions and business networking sessions, Top Empowerment challenges public and private sectors to continually benchmark and improve their performance to boost growth and equity in the economy.

This year’s Top Empowerment conference programme drew together South Africa’s preeminent empowerment business leaders, government officials, academics, mentors and transformation drivers for a packed programme of dialogue, exchange and networking to advance the empowerment agenda.

Keynote addresses included:

• Honourable Minister Naledi Pandor, The Department of Higher Education and Training
  
• Deputy Director General Mr Tseliso Maqubela, The Department of Energy (Petroleum and Petroleum Products Regulation)
  
• The Youth Employment Service (YES)
  
• Black Industrialist Policy
  
• The BBBEE Commission

  www.topempowerment.co.za