Mbabane – Two phenomenal businesswomen received the high praise and honour from Business Eswatini (BE), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNFPA, and Vukani Bomake (Business Women Eswatini) for resilience in the business world.
Mary Mbhamali, winner of the 2023 national outstanding business owned by a person with disability award, and Nomcebo Dlamini, the 2025 recipient of the same national title, were celebrated today.
The exceptional entrepreneurs’s achievements not only set a national benchmark for crediting business excellence among persons with disabilities but also marks inclusiveness and economic empowerment, it was said.
BE Chief Executive Officer, E. Nathi Dlamini described the moment as a milestone for the organisation and its partners. He noted that when the empowerment programme began, he insisted that beneficiaries should rely on their capabilities rather than external assistance.
“The chairperson said I have trash in the factory, and these women took that ‘trash’ and turned it into treasure,” Dlamini remarked, celebrating their resilience and ingenuity.
Mbhamali, who scooped a E30 000 prize in 2023, said her disability has been a doorway rather than a barrier.
“I wouldn’t want to be normal because my disability has opened opportunities for me,” Mbhamali.
She further appreciated Tokky Hou which they said Vukani Bomake is her brain child saying that “none of this would have happened without you “make” showing gratitude and respect, who left her comfortable life to train, work with, and empower people with disabilities,” she said.
This year’s winner, Nomcebo Dlamini, who walked away with E45,000, urged everyone to respect even the simplest tools of entrepreneurship.
“Never undermine a sewing machine,” she warned. “It changed my life for the better.”
She added that she is forever grateful to a sawing machine saying without a sawing she wouldn’t be standing tall and being proud of her achievements.
She urged the women to treat a sewing machine very precious for it may become a game changer.
The partners highlighted that the achievements of Mbhamali and Dlamini embody the purpose of their joint programmes, to restore dignity, unlock entrepreneurial talent, and ensure that women with disabilities take their rightful place in the business landscape.
Their stories, they said, are a testament to what is possible when empowerment meets determination.
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