Tough Market Conditions Are Not Stopping SA’s Entrepreneurs
South African entrepreneurs are operating in one of the world’s most challenging business environments. A recent expert assessment rated the country’s
entrepreneurial ecosystem just 3.9 out of 10,
the seventh-lowest score among 56 economies surveyed and well below the global average of 4.7. Access to finance, the effectiveness of government support programmes, and ease of market entry were among the weakest areas measured.
South African business owners have spent the past six years absorbing a pandemic, sustained load shedding, water interruptions, port and rail
failures and rising input costs, and they have kept trading through all of it. Some have gone further and built businesses out of the disruption itself, turning problems the country has been struggling with into commercial opportunities.
Fifteen of them have now been shortlisted for the 38th edition of
Entrepreneur of the Year®.
Entrants are judged by an independent panel of seasoned entrepreneurs and sponsor representatives across three categories determined by turnover
and trading history. They are assessed on entrepreneurial ability, growth, management skill, market strategy, financial performance and social and environmental contribution, supported by independently reviewed financial statements and full compliance verification.
Contenders have been identified and selected in the following categories:
1.
Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the Year® – awarded to
businesses operating for one to five years with turnover up to R10 million:
-
Lwazi, Lwando and Simnikiwe Ndlangalavu – PB Gaz,
which supplies LPG cooking gas and related products and services to underserved township households, schools and small businesses. -
Jerry Tjale – Bokamoso Farmers Academy,
an accredited agricultural training institution that trains between 3,000 and 5,000 learners a year and partners with government departments and agricultural businesses. -
Linda Ntshanga – Ekash Group, a fintech
platform addressing financial exclusion through affordable mobile money services for individuals, SMMEs, informal traders and community groups. -
Dr Michelle Von Stein – CoralBloom® Studio,
which creates functional art collections for the destination retail, hospitality and tourism sectors, including homeware, tableware, stationery, accessories and bespoke corporate gifts. -
Kgomotso Pooe – SoWeToo Tours, which showcases
Soweto’s history, culture and vibrancy through authentic tourism experiences. -
Mxolisi Mhlongo – Euphrosyne, a circular
economy business that harvests invasive alien plants and converts them into eco-friendly charcoal, while creating green employment opportunities in communities facing high unemployment.
2.
Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year® – for businesses with turnover between R10 million and R50 million:
-
Carl van Blerk – Food Sock Meals, which
manufactures and distributes affordable, shelf-stable dehydrated meals for households, students, outdoor enthusiasts, NGOs, schools, feeding schemes and disaster relief organisations. -
Thenjiwe and Ntuthuko Shezi – First Class Parking,
the sole Airports Company South Africa-accredited valet parking service operating at O.R. Tambo International Airport. -
Louise and Gary Concar – Offshore Africa Training Centre,
which provides internationally certified safety and technical training for the oil and gas sector. -
Marcel and Simone Hattingh and Nicholas Eve – Donkey Long Tong,
a manufacturer of braai and fire tools supplying both local and export markets. -
Noko Ramasenya – Noleo Projects, a construction
and engineering company focused on SMME development and contributing to the communities in which it operates. -
Douw Bezuidenhout – Henque Waste, which
provides integrated waste management and recycling solutions across the commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and public sectors.
3.
Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year® – recognising businesses with turnover above R50 million:
-
Jaen-Jacques Nell – The CMF Group, a wholesale,
distribution and e-commerce business supplying branded consumer electronics, mobile accessories and homeware through major online and retail platforms, while providing route-to-market services to brand partners. -
Neran Naidoo – HSP Mobility Solutions,
which combines driver training, fleet rental, luxury chauffeur services and AI-powered mobility solutions. -
Thomas Malamule – TTI Bursary Management,
which manages the full bursary lifecycle for corporate funders, from recruitment and disbursement through to mentoring, reporting and graduation.
Read together, the list points to where South African opportunity is currently concentrated. Three of the fifteen run training and education businesses,
in a market where 84%
of large corporations report difficulty sourcing critically skilled staff and 89% say unfilled roles are damaging their operations. Two are
working on problems South Africa has not solved, with the country sending
roughly 90%
of its general waste to landfill and losing between 3% and 5%
of its surface water to invasive alien plants. Three more are serving township and informal markets, supplying cooking gas, mobile money and tourism income to communities the formal economy has been slow to reach.
“What surprised us this year is the degree to which these founders, working independently of one another, are tackling the same underlying challenges,”
says Gugu Mjadu of Business Partners Limited. “They are not simply spotting gaps in the market. They are finding ways to turn some of the country’s most persistent challenges into viable businesses.”
Each category winner will be selected from these finalists, with one set to be named South Africa’s overall Entrepreneur of the Year® 2026.
The Job Creator, Innovator and Impact Entrepreneur of the Year® titles are conferred at the judges’ discretion on finalists making outstanding contributions to employment, market innovation or social impact, respectively.
Since 1988, hundreds of entrepreneurs have been identified and supported through the competition, developing and amplifying the small and
medium business sector. The 2026 winners will be announced at an official awards ceremony in October, where they will share in award prizes designed to accelerate business growth, including funding, mentorship, technical assistance and business exposure opportunities.
