YOUNG FARMER HOUNERED BY MEC KONTSIWE AS THE BEST PERFORMING
FEMALE ENTREPRENUER IN THE PROVINCE IN 2025
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 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 by-product to animal
feed manufactures and livestock farmers.
The enterprise first came tops in the agro-processing category before it was named the
overall winner 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 creating 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 at Bizana.
She produces yellow maize and green beans in 22 ha of land and the company buys from
local producers to keep their milling plant running and profitable.
The aim to upgrading production capacity of a 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 22ha 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 that Sodwele is a qualified artist, her 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 need 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 the society has a duty to ensure young people understood the importance of
the agriculture value chain and that the role of women in the industry huge, adding that the
government was committed to creating conditions for the agriculture sector to thrive and
prosper
Other winners included:
- 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.
- 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.
- Naudeshoek Farm from Ngqushwa that produces citrus fruit that is exported to the
EU, UK, Middle East, Canada, China and Russia and sell to local fresh produce
markets in Johanessburg, 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 R50 000.
The best performing district was OR Tambo and the total prize money won by farmers was
R290 000.