Local News
Eastern Cape take top honours at DAFF awards in Mahikeng─── 14:21 Sat, 23 Aug 2014
Mahikeng - A woman from Mzamo in the Eastern Cape has won the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) Female Entrepreneur of 2014 award, the department said on Saturday.
Ivy Nokwanele was crowned the winner at the annual award ceremony, in partnership with Total South Africa, in Mahikeng, North West on Friday night.
"Let us be proud of women and recognise them for their ability to feed, not only their families but the world," Minister Senzeni Zokwana said in a statement.
Zokwana said one of the major objectives of the awards was to open export market opportunities for female farmers.
"It is about time we highlight the contribution made by women in the sector that is often regarded as the terrain of men," said Zokwana.
Linah Mahlangu from Mpumalanga won the minister's special award during the ceremony.
"This award offers an opportunity for the [minister] to acknowledge the contribution of young women and women living with disabilities who are entrepreneurs," department spokeswoman Makenosi Maroo said in a statement.
Total South Africa General Manager Pansy Mekwa said in a statement that although female farmers produce more than 70 percent of Africa's food, their efforts and ability were often overlooked.
"The Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award seeks to change all that, highlighting the stories of successful emergent female farmers across the country," said Mekwa.
"They [female farmer] stand as inspiration to their communities, who benefit from their farming activities, either through food security or the creation of jobs,¨ she said.
The DAFF Female Entrepreneur Awards is an empowerment programme which was in its 14th year. It was conceptualised "to encourage and increase the participation of women, youth and people living with disabilities in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors," said Maroo.
The awards, themed 'Africa's Agriculture and Food Security,' starts at a provincial level and them culminates to the national awards.
- Sapa
