Ms Asnath Nthupheni Mulaudzi, who runs a small farming enterprise in Nwanedi, won the Top Export Producer category in this year's Female Farmer of the Year competition. The prize-giving ceremony took place at the Malamulele Community Hall on 8 August.
Ms Mulaudzi manages a 30-hectare farm where she grows tomatoes, butternuts, chillies, and vegetables. Her enterprise, Nthupheni Farm and Trading, employs roughly 50 people. Her produce is sold to major clients such as Tiger Brands, and she also supplies bakkie traders, the Johannesburg Market, and even markets in Mozambique.
All the category winners received R30,000 in prize money from the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) and an additional R20,000 "top-up" from Standard Bank. The R20,000 is not in cash but in the form of vouchers that can be exchanged for products of equivalent value. The category winners also proceeded to the provincial round, which was scheduled to take place on 15 August. The event had to be postponed to a later date because of a clash in the venue booking.
Ms Mulaudzi was very excited about her prize and said that she would use the money to develop her farm and purchase fertilizer and seedlings.
The acting mayor of the VDM, Cllr Rose Mathukha, congratulated the winners of the competition. "We are excited when one of our own female farmers emerges as a winner of the competition. As the district municipality, we will do our best to support our women," said Mathukha. She added that these women created jobs for themselves and had also created jobs for many other jobless community members.
Ms Rotshidzwa Mulaudzi won the award for Best Female Worker, while Ms Vhutshilo Rabambi was honoured as Best Subsistence Producer. Ms Rudzani Khakhu won the prize for Top Entrepreneur Small Holding.