Top performing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been recognised at the Black Umbrellas National Development Awards in Johannesburg.
Black Umbrellas (BU) established the National Enterprise Development Awards (NEDA) in recognition of the achievements of the entrepreneurs in their business incubation programme. These awards highlight the hard work and dedication required to establish and sustain a successful business, that creates jobs and contribute to the economy.
The NEDA 2017 ceremony took place on June 28 in Sandton and the finalists were selected from regional enterprise development awards ceremonies held at each of the eight BU incubators across the country. The businesses in the incubators have in total created and preserved over 5 350 permanent jobs across key economic sectors, which include mining, construction, engineering, security services as well as project management.
The overall winners were:
– Most Jobs Created: Hula Minerals and Processing;
– Best Performing Company: Aquila Projects;
– Best SBU Ambassador: Recycle 1st;
– Overall National Winner: Modi Mining;
– Incubator of the Year: Johannesburg incubator;
– People’s Choice Award Winner: Recycle 1st
Speaking at the awards, BU CEO Seapei Mafoyane said each year the awards confirm BU’s impact and value driven contribution to the South African economy.
“The many businesses that have been participating in our programmes have over the years demonstrated the successes associated with supporting small and medium black owned businesses. The evening’s award recipients are among the best performing SMEs and their profiles provide for objective motivation for the sector,” said Mafoyane.
