2009 Winners
The 2009 National Business Achiever Award winners, pronounced by the prestigious judging panels, are:
Start-Up Category
(judging facilitated by Port Elizabeth branch)
Winner: Lizelle Parsons, Texcare Laundry and Dry Cleaners - Cape Town
Lizelle was born and raised in De Doorns, matriculated in Somerset West and spent most of her working life in the Hotel industry. Texcare was established in 2004 with the aim of providing a professional laundry and dry cleaning services to the hotel industry in Cape Town. With the help of her family and staff, Texcare has established themselves as a leader in the market place; accomplished through constant staff training and remaining true to Lizelle’s core values which are honesty, hard work and dedication. The entire business is built on these values. Texcare also strives to make a difference not only in the lives of the staff, but also the community through numerous internal and external projects.
Entrepreneur Category
(judging facilitated by Port Elizabeth branch)
Winner: Judy Woodgate, Tsitsikamma Crystal Springwater - Port Elizabeth
She is the founder and managing member and the owner of Tsitsikamma Crystal Waters. After discovering the high quality of water on their property, she decided to bottle and sell water to cover the costs of educating her son who has macular degeneration. Financial constraints dictated that she design the label and package personally, invoice manually and deliver single handedly for the first 2 years.
In 2007, the business achieved growth in sales of 33%. The company also achieved Kosher certification for 12 of their 16 products.
Born out of necessity, the business has grown and is delivering a quality product, and she is passionate and selective about what she sells. A 90% preference for Tsitsikamma Crystal above her competitors was achieved with blind taste tests.
Tsitsikamma Crystal Cares programme, launched in the last year, kitted out 3 soccer teams, provided building material to a local crèche, donated R11 000 for an accident victim at the Aurora Rehabilitation Centre. 1c per bottle given back to nature to the Dolphin Action and Protection group for the save the whales campaign. Judy’s absolute entrepreneurial flair and her passion for her business and her community has stood her in good stead to become a Winner. Her journey has been an inspiring and motivating one for all entrepreneurs.
Social Entrepreneur Category
(judging facilitated by Durban branch)
Winner: Betsy Ings, Siyaloba Training Academy - Port Elizabeth
Betsy Ings, a fisherman’s wife, saves lives as a negotiator of training and upliftment. Betsy founded Siyaloba in 1999 as a public benefit organisation, and through this, strives to raise awareness for the upliftment of fishers and their families. She assisted the TETA in compiling and executing the SBFI Pilot project, offering more than 21 000 training interventions to fishers nationally, in 13 skills programmes. She lobbied for the SMME Strategy in participation with the Skills Development Levy Act, and obtained SAMSA and TETA accreditation for all their courses. She has secured lots of funding for a number of programmes over the years.
This is the first business of its kind in the Eastern Cape, dedicated to a specific industry; fishermen Is unique in servicing the fishing industry.
Through continued efforts more than 30 skills development facilitators was trained by Betsy and they are making an impact on each organisation and Betsy annually raises R 2 million for further education and training for fishers and their greater communities. Siyaloba Training Academy has been operational since 1999 and has expanded to offer ABET on computers and simulated motorman and Electronic Navigation Courses to fishers and the NSRI.
She has assisted the SA Sea Cadetts financially, and with equipment and their accreditation NSRI, Talhado Children’s Haven, Eastern Cape Department of Social Development.
Betsy created a sustainable business through her sincere concern for the lives of her husband’s peers and their families.
Corporate Category
(judging facilitated by East London branch)
Winner: Safiyya Patel, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs - Johannesburg
Safiyya is a mother of 2 children and a director of Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS), South Africa’s largest law firm. Safiyya has extensive experience in a broad range of corporate and commercial work. In particular, she has developed specialised skills in company law, the BEE regulatory regime as well as in telecommunications, broadcasting (including print media) and IT law. She as advised state-owned enterprises, multinational companies, local enterprises and non-governmental organisations on the far reaching implications of the BEE act and the BEE Codes. She as also published various articles on the subject and has mad various public presentations regarding BEE. She as advised on and prepared documentation in relation to BEE transactions, M&A transactions, joint ventures, financing agreements and company formations and reorganizations.
Safiyya’s experience in the telecommunications, broadcasting (including print media) and IT sectors include advising on and representing clients with regard to various policies and regulatory issues inherent in those areas of law. She has also drafted a host of technology related agreements for various clients. She also co-authored the book “cyber-rights for Civil Society”.
Professional Category
(judging facilitated by Cape Town branch)
Winner: Lynda Bryant, Pharmacist - Durban
Lynda bought a struggling cash-strapped pharmacy called National Road Pharmacy in 2005 and is the youngest woman Link pharmacy owner in the country. It has grown into a profitable leading healthcare facility in the Highway area after only three short years.
With a new fresh look and full-time clinic, this pharmacy is a centre of wellness for the Kloof community that it serves. Lynda provides educational evenings and health awareness campaigns in the pharmacy which is part of the new focus of the pharmacy.