Siteki – Women-owned businesses dominated the 2026 Lubombo Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA), scooping five of the seven awards presented during the regional ceremony held at Siteki Hotel.
The overall award went to Eli Olivia, a women-owned agri-business based at Mpolonjeni in Siteki, which also won the Outstanding Agri-business Award.
Owned by Eli Olivia Khoza, the business runs a cattle-farming operation with more than 100 cattle for dairy and beef production. It also produces dry maize and beans on 10 hectares of land.
Khoza walked away with a total of E30 000 in prize money.
“I am very happy to have won. I believe this is a result of putting in the hard work. I wish to encourage other women to use their skills and their hands to sustain themselves. With that small land and limited water we have, we can do something meaningful,” she said.
Other winners included Efence Investments, a Siteki-based construction business which won the Outstanding Youth-Owned Business Award, while Ncami’s Hand Design, also based in Siteki, won the Outstanding Handicraft Award.
Speaking at the ceremony on behalf of the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, Principal Secretary Ambassador Melusi Masuku praised the high participation of women entrepreneurs in the region.
“Let me place Lubombo’s performance this year within that national picture. On this 20th anniversary edition, 87 applications, about a quarter of the national total, came from right here, the Lubombo region. And of those 87 applicants, 73 percent are women; well above this year’s national average of 64 percent,” he said.
Masuku said the figures showed that Lubombo was making a significant contribution to inclusive economic participation.
Meanwhile, FNB Eswatini CEO Thokozani ‘TK’ Dlamini said the bank had increased its sponsorship package for the EYA to E2 million through FNB Eswatini and the FNB Eswatini Foundation.
Dlamini said the increased sponsorship was intended to ensure that small and medium enterprises continued to benefit from the awards, adding that the prizes for the overall regional winners would be double those awarded last year.
“We believe these prizes will make a positive impact on the business operations of our overall winners because the ultimate shared goal is to see these businesses grow,” he said.
The regional leg of the 2026 EYA, supported by FNB Eswatini and the FNB Eswatini Foundation, continues with the Hhohho ceremony on July 23, followed by Manzini on July 27 and Shiselweni on August 3.
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