Annual Top Empowerment Winners Lead SA's Transformation

Former President Kgalema Motlanthe Wins Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shining a spotlight on South Africa's significant milestone of 25 years of transformation and economic empowerment, winners in the 18th Annual Top Empowerment Awards were announced on Thursday 11 April 2019 in Johannesburg.

The Top Empowerment awards recognise South Africa's best leadership, innovation, and contribution in driving the empowerment agenda to boost the nation's growth and equity in the economy by delivering exceptional results in the face of challenges

With an expansive career of significant and historical contributions to the transformation and development of South Africa, the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for Empowerment was bestowed upon Former President Kgalema Motlanthe, celebrating and recognising his indelible impact on the evolution and growth of social cohesion.

The Top Empowerment Summit serves as the nation's leading independent authority in driving the agenda of equal economic participation and offers the ideal platform to map out the future of empowerment and open avenues for businesses into the economic mainstream.

2019 Top Empowerment winners are: Lifetime Achievement Award - Former President Kgalema Motlanthe. Top Empowered Company: Fast Growth Black-Owned SMME Award - Majozi Bros Construction. Top Empowered Company: ICT Award - Itec Tiyende. Top Empowered Influencer of 2019 Award - Buyisiwe Audrey Khoza - Inqaba Yokulinda. Top Empowered Young Achiever of the Year Award (under 40 Years) - Thembelihle Mjaji - Mbatha - Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency. Top Empowered Company: Infrastructure Award - Calgro M3 Developments. Top Empowered Company: Enterprise and Supplier Development Award - Turner & Townsend. Top Empowered: Youth Employment Services Initiative Award - Nyawo Construction. Top Empowered Company: Socio-Economic Development Award - Transnet Port Terminals. Top Empowered Company: Skills Development Award - Life Healthcare Group. Top Empowered Company: Education & Training Award - Motheo Tvet College. Top Empowered Entrepreneur of 2019 Award - Liyanda Handula - Masithuthuke Holdings. Top Empowered Business of the Year Award - Etion. Top Empowered Business Leader of the Year Award - Mthoko Mbatha - Spring Lights Gas.

Reflecting on the past twenty-five years of economic transformation, Top Empowerment Summit supports, facilitates and leverages South Africa's public and private sectors' capacity to unlock the potential that exists within black-owned and managed businesses that operate within the South African economy. Through deliberate, targeted and well-defined interventions, public discussions and business networking sessions, Top Empowerment challenges public and private sectors to continually benchmark and improve their performance to boost growth and equity in the economy.

This year's Top Empowerment conference programme drew together South Africa's preeminent empowerment business leaders, government officials, academics, mentors and transformation drivers for a packed programme of dialogue, exchange and networking to advance the empowerment agenda.