Female Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said, "Our aim is to create female entrepreneurs who have access to markets - we need women to plant food for the nation." She further emphasised the need for the department to support the participation of women in the awards by increasing awareness about the competition and the role of women in agriculture.

In her address to the nominees, the GM of sales and marketing at Total South Africa Qetello Zeka added, "We are proud of women involved in agriculture who work tirelessly." She congratulated all the women that entered the competition and added that she hopes the participation of the group in the awards will contribute to the economic growth of the country.

This competition started at a provincial level in 2011, where all nine provincial Departments of Agriculture participated in different categories. It was conceptualised to encourage and increase the participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in the sector.

Winners:

• Best Female Worker in the Sector and the winner is Sithembile Buthelezi from KwaZulu Natal
  
• Best Subsistence Producer in the Sector and the winner is Margareth Mabasa from Limpopo
  
• Top Entrepreneur in the Sector: Smallholder and the winner is Elizabeth Magdalena Smit from Mpumalanga
  
• Top Entrepreneur Processing in the Sector and the winner is Zuleika Karoda from Gauteng
  
• Top Female Entrepreneur in the Sector: Commercial and the winner is Jacky Goliath from Western Cape
  
• Top Entrepreneur in the Sector: Export Markets and the winner is Pamela Margaret Fyvie from Free State

The reigning farmer, Fyvie, will be in this position until August 2013 when the new overall winner will be announced.