A young farmer and agro-processer from Bizana came tops during the annual Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) where the MEC for the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture (DoA) Nonceba Kontsiwe awarded top performing women in the sector.
Kontsiwe awarded women who are contributing in the economic development and job creation through the agricultural value chain a bid to empower, recognise, encourage participation and honour women in the sector.
The 30-year-old Nandipha Sodwele owns Nolandumbinda Projects Pty (Ltd) Mill that processes maize into maize meal and sells harmony chop which is a by-product to animal feed manufacturers and livestock farmers.
The enterprise first came tops in the agro-processing category before it was named the overall winner at the ceremony held at Abbotsford Christian Centre in East London on Friday (subs: 15 Aug. 25) where she won a combined prize of R100 000.
Her milling plant has serviced the local community and the surrounding community of Bizana as far as Flagstaff, Holy Cross and Ingquza Hill areas since 2014.
Nolandumbinda production operation has successfully established itself as a vital contributor to local food security and employment through the creation of 3 permanent and 16 temporary and seasonal jobs.
Her market includes livestock farmers, Hello Choice and One Farm Share Supermarkets in Bizana as well as Majazi Primary School and Mzamba Combined School through the Department of Education Nutrition Programme and other retail shops in Bizana.
She produces yellow maize and green beans on 22 ha of land and the company buys from local producers to keep their milling plant running and profitable.
The aim is to upgrade the production capacity of the mill by increasing from the current 365 kg per hour to 2 tons per hour production of maize meal as well as increasing yellow maize production from 22 ha to 50 ha within the next 5 years with the aim of total commercialization, Sodwele said.
“I am very excited to be recognised by the department for the hard work I put in this enterprise and this will motivate me to do more. I was now worried about the production inputs for this planting season and I will use some of the money I have won here to buy them as well as growing my agro-processing business,” said Sodwele.
Despite being a qualified artist, Sodwele’s love for agriculture got the better of her because she grew up in a family that practised both agro-processing and farming hence she followed their footsteps.
She said while there were many challenges it was “lucrative business that needs patience and resilience,” hence she urged youth, especially women, to venture into the sector.
MEC Kontsiwe said women were being celebrated “not just as participants in a programme, but as leaders, pioneers, and change-makers in a sector that too often overlooks the contributions of women.”
“These awards are not simply a celebration of individual achievement; they are a signal to the rest of the country that women in agriculture are ready to lead from the front.
“In a time when our economy needs new growth drivers, women farmers have already shown that they can turn small opportunities into thriving enterprises, and local challenges into global market advantages. You are not waiting for change — you are making it happen,” Kontsiwe added.
Kontsiwe said society has a duty to ensure young people understand the importance of the agriculture value chain and that the role of women in the industry is huge, adding that the government was committed to creating conditions for the agriculture sector to thrive and prosper.
Other winners included:
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Idealveg Trading (Pty) Ltd led by Zanele Matikinca of Mthatha who is supplying a wide range of fresh and chopped vegetables to local restaurants, hospitals and events. Matikinca won in the best commercial entrepreneur category, walking away with R50 000.
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PUFESO Agri Enterprise in Engcobo that is supplying fresh vegetables to stores like Boxer Engcobo, Super Spar Engcobo, New Rest Engcobo, all PACINA Spar Group in Mthatha and the surrounding community. They are selling eggs to restaurants including Elonwabo Pub and Grill, 50/50 Lounge as well as schools, government offices, hawkers and locally. PUFESO won in the best small holder category, walking away with R50 000.
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Naudeshoek Farm from Ngqushwa that produces citrus fruit that is exported to the EU, UK, Middle East, Canada, China and Russia and sold to local fresh produce markets in Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, Tshwane market, PMB market, East London, King Williams Town as well as local hawkers. They won in the best export category, walking away with R50 000.
The best performing district was OR Tambo and the total prize money won by farmers was R290 000.
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