History of the Female Entrepreneur Awards (Photo Archive)
The main aim of the project is to shine the spotlight on the role played by women in food security, job creation, economic growth and poverty alleviation.
At this year’s awards event, themed “Harnessing women’s talent for sustainable food security:
A vision beyond 2030”, Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson presented awards to nine winners from across the country.
These awards are also aimed at encouraging and increasing the participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in the sector — it starts at a provincial level where all nine provincial departments of agriculture participate in the different categories.
The work behind the project begins with sifting through entries and the selection of the best entries at provincial level, an adjudication process at national level that culminates in the main gala event where the winners are presented with their awards.
A new category, the Top Entrepreneur Award: National Markets, has been introduced this year.
For more than a decade, the department has used the programme as a vehicle to encourage women to not only participate in this sector, but also to use it in creating jobs for the upliftment of their communities and to put women at the forefront of the fight against poverty.
Statistics show that the agricultural sector is a big employer and contributes a lot towards job creation.
About 739 000 people are employed in this sector, an increase from 656 000 last year.
With this programme, which has an inherent goal of depicting national models for possible replication, the department demonstrates the potential of the sector to possible national and international investors.
One of the department’s strategic objectives is to increase intra-African trade, which currently stands at 10%.
Another encouraging development over the years has been a notable increase in the number of properly registered co-operatives and more formally organised groups of women who put forward and submit projects they are involved in for consideration by the department’s provincial adjudication panels.
The department sees this as proof that more women are getting involved in this sector. Total SA, a partner since the inception of the programme, continues to be part of the project to honour women entrepreneurs and the trailblazers in the sector.
This year, the awards became part of the department’s programme to celebrate women’s month.
Winners
• Overall winner and Top Entrepreneur: Export Markets — Nomzamo Khoza from KwaZulu-Natal
• Best Female Worker — Siphiwe Machika from Gauteng
• Best Subsistence —Kenalemang Olga Kgoroeadira from North West
• Top Entrepreneur: Smallholder — Lungelwa Kama from Eastern Cape
• Top Entrepreneur: Processing — Mpho Rosy Molete-Matlanyane from Free State
• Top Female Entrepreneur: Commercial — Thandi Cynthia Mokwena from Mpumalanga
• Top Entrepreneur: National Markets — Maria Malan from Northern Cape
• Minister’s Special Award: Young Entrepreneurs — Preline Swart from the Western Cape
• Minister’s Special Award: Persons with disability — Josephine Mabyalwa Raserope-Rikhotso from KwaZulu-Natal
Fact box
The former department of agriculture started the project in 2009, at the time called Female Farmer Award Programme. The current department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries then changed the name to Female Entrepreneur Awards.
Another change was reducing the number of categories from 17 to nine at a national level to ensure the highest possible quality of winning enterprises. Only women-owned enterprises are allowed to enter as individuals or groups. The department has developed a database of entrants, including both winners and non-winners of the competition.
The current winner, Nomzamo Khoza, employs over a 100 people and has 200 agents.
The minister first heard about Khoza from an Argentine delegation; Khoza had an interest in opening a market in Argentina.
She has succeeded in opening a market in Mozambique, where she sells her oils.