NHLANGANO – A group of rising entrepreneurs from the Shiselweni region were honoured this month during the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, an event hosted by SEDCO and backed by the FNB Eswatini Foundation. The awards recognise small business owners who are building enterprises rooted in innovation and community impact.
Ntokozo Simelane, a motor mechanic turned businessman, walked away with the Outstanding Youth Owned Business award. After noticing how long it took customers to get basic car parts, he opened Selina Auto Spares in February 2025 to meet the demand for essentials like fan belts and filters. Simelane once lost a shop but restarted with determination, currently operating with one employee and plans to expand across the country.
Thembisile Mafu, owner of Resilient Mafu Farms, received the Outstanding Agribusiness award. Her journey began in her backyard, growing food for her family. Today, she supplies sugar beans, fresh produce, chili sauce, and atchar. Her farm employs seven people and she hopes to expand to ten hectares to grow into a top supplier.
Thulisile Mngometulu, founder of Dlakadla Handicraft, won the Outstanding Handicraft Business award. Beading, a skill passed down by her mother, has become a solo-run business that she’s kept alive despite slow years. After entering the SEDCO awards annually since 2018, this was her winning year. She dreams of building Dlakadla into one of Eswatini’s most recognisable traditional craft brands.
Hlobsile Dlamini, who owns E-Power Hardware, scooped the Outstanding Woman Owned Business award. Her business grew from a simple effort to install solar lights at home to a thriving energy and hardware enterprise. She recently hired her first employee and is planning to open a full store.
Nkosibonile Mabuza, aged 22, was honoured with the Outstanding Start-Up award for Mshengu Fruit & Veg, a produce business that started as a home garden. He is working towards scaling up his operations and becoming a key fresh produce supplier in the region.
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