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The KZN Top Business Women initiative is a flagship recognition platform in KwaZulu-Natal that celebrates the personal narratives and professional achievements of female leaders. Unlike conventional competitive awards, it operates on the belief that every chosen participant is a winner in her own right, focusing on storytelling rather than just financial turnover. Alumnae of KZN Top Business Women Nominate Class of 2025 Each featured woman has been professionally photographed by Brendab Bromfield and participated in a video interview with Gayle Adlam, filmed and edited by Dan Chappe, which the basis for the articles in this publication. The full interviews are available on the KZN Top Business YouTube channel. View 2025 Profiles Click here to the ebook Class of 2024 Each featured woman has been professionally photographed by Brendab Bromfield and participated in a video interview with Gayle Adlam, filmed and edited by Dan Chappe, which the basis for the articles in this publication. The full interviews are available on the KZN Top Business YouTube channel. View 2024 Profiles Click here to the ebook Class of 2023 A special thank you to our photographer Brendan Bromfield for the beautiful portraits, which are featured in this book, and which are presented to each participant. He made sure that we all enjoyed the sessions in front of the camera. View 2023 Profile Click here to the ebook Class of 2022 Mini Pinetown Top Women 2022 Collect View 2022 Profiles Click here to the ebook Class of 2021 Nicholas Carroll 2021 Collection of KZN Top Business Women View 2021 Profiles Click here to the ebook Class of 2019 A special thank you to our artist Fiona Kane for her countless hours spent painting the watercolour portraits which are featured in this book. View 2019 Profiles Click here to the ebook

KZN Top Business Awards Evening RSVP 2026 | KZN Top Business Back KZN Top Business Awards 2026 Brought to you by Standard Bank and Women of Africa Group Supported by East Coast Radio Gala Dinner Seating Plan Welcome to the official seating plan for the KZN Top Business Awards 2026 Gala Dinner. Use the seating plan below to locate your table before entering the venue. Tables are arranged by table number to help you find your seat quickly. If you require assistance on the evening, our registration team will be available to direct you to your table. We look forward to celebrating with you on Thursday, 16 July 2026 at the Durban ICC.

The definitive ecosystem for KwaZulu-Natal industry. Home to the KZN Top Business Awards, Women in Business, and the Nexus networking hub. Empowering the province through KZN Business Sense news and strategic connectivity. The stories behind KZN’s business success Read More > KZN Business Sense is a multi-platform business media outlet and monthly tabloid dedicated to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Business Read More > Read More > Read More > Top Business Awards KZN Top Brand 2026 Find Out More KZN Top Business NEXUS Join the List Top Business Portfolio View Top Business Leaders View Top Business News PINKDRIVE AND RBM LAUNCH MANDELA MONTH HEALTH OUTREACH CAMPAIGN ACROSS THREE PROVINCES As South Africans mark Mandela Month, a time dedicated to service, solidarity and making a positive difference in the lives of others. PinkDrive and Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) are launching a health outreach campaign that will bring life-saving screening, awareness and education services to communities across KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense 7 days ago 3 min read ALWAYS ON? HERE’S HOW TO SWITCH OFF ON HOLIDAY First, it was the laptop we brought home “just in case”. Then it was the smartphone on the bedside table. Now it is the smartwatch on our wrist, vibrating through dinner, school runs, holidays and sleep. This is why holidays must be seen as essential maintenance, but the real challenge is not finding time for a holiday. It’s learning how to disconnect once we’re on it. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jul 6 3 min read 10,000 Reasons to Believe in South Africa’s Future A new national campaign, 10,000 Reasons to Believe in South Africa’s Future, is calling on people across the country to step forward to support leadership in South Africa’s public schools. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jul 3 3 min read Hollywoodbets Durban July edges to R1 billion economic contribution Africa’s greatest horse racing and social event, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, is edging closer to delivering R1 billion to the eThekwini economy this year, capping a remarkable turnaround story for an industry that was on the brink of collapse just a few years ago. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jul 2 4 min read Constitutional democracy demands due process, not vigilantism As tensions surrounding undocumented immigration continue to escalate in KwaZulu-Natal and across South Africa, legal expert Susan Abro of Susan Abro Attorney, is warning that while the law provides clear mechanisms for dealing with unlawful immigration, private citizens cannot assume the role of law enforcement. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jul 1 3 min read CULINARY ROOTS: HOW TO SCALE A STAND-OUT RECIPE WITHOUT LOSING ITS SOUL Great food does more than satisfy hunger; it creates connection through flavour, tradition and shared experience. Drawing on the Culinary Roots trend identified in Unilever Food Solutions’ Future Menus 2026 report, Chef Latoya Marivate shares practical insights into scaling recipes while preserving the authenticity, character and craftsmanship that give them their lasting appeal. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jun 26 3 min read 4 REASONS YOUR CAR COLOUR MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK Most people choose the colour of their new wheels with their heart, but beyond aesthetics, your car’s colour could influence its value, upkeep, and everyday comfort for years to come. It’s not that one colour is right and another wrong; it’s about understanding the trade-offs. From visibility on the road to comfort in the summer sun, maintenance, and even resale appeal, the car colour you pick can define your driving experience long after you leave the showroom. KZN BUSINESS SENSE Business Sense Jun 23 3 min read Vote For Your Top Brand in the 2026 KZN Top Business Awards The race to crown KwaZulu-Natal's favourite brand is officially underway as voting opens for the highly anticipated KZN Top Brand 2026 Award. Unlike the category awards, which are judged by an independent panel, the KZN Top Brand Award is decided entirely by public vote, giving customers, employees, suppliers and communities the opportunity to support the brands that have made a meaningful impact on their lives. KZN TOP BUSINESS AWARDS Chelsea Brand Jun 19 1 min read CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF GROWTH AND INNOVATION IN THE KZN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR The KwaZulu-Natal Clothing and Textile Cluster yesterday marked a major milestone, celebrating two decades of growth, innovation and industry leadership at its 20th Anniversary Annual General Meeting. BUSINESS Business Sense Jun 18 2 min read 1 2 3 4 5 Upcoming Events 3 days to the event KZN Top Business Awards 2026 Thu, 16 Jul Durban ICC Details 59 days to the event SELL THE SIZZLE CONFERENCE Thu, 10 Sept AHA Gateway Hotel Details 122 days to the event KZN Top Business Woman 2026 Thu, 12 Nov Durban Details APPLY- Get Started OPENING HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 0800 - 16:30 ADDRESS 4 Wedge Road Westville 3629 info@kzntopbusiness.com TEL.+27 (0)31 267-1977

Mazibuko describes himself as a crazy person who likes challenges. “My life has been long and interesting – and I have been encouraged by a number of people to write a book about it,” he says. Subscribe Home KZN Leaders Up Up Sibusiso Mazibuko Mazibuko describes himself as a crazy person who likes challenges. “My life has been long and interesting – and I have been encouraged by a number of people to write a book about it,” he says. A Born Entrepreneur Sibusiso Mazibuko’s roots are in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. He was born in Pietermaritzburg and then later settled close to Durban in Umlazi township. Mazibuko describes himself as a crazy person who likes challenges. “My life has been long and interesting – and I have been encouraged by a number of people to write a book about it,” he says. Over his business career he says, “I think I am a born entrepreneur.” While still at school he bought his own bicycle through selling sweets and other items to his fellow learners. At university he was able to afford his own car through his diligent efforts. Mazibuko did not complete his studies as he became politically active and joined Umkhonto we Sizwe when he was 18 years old. This was an underground unit that was launched in 1961 as an armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). His particular unit, Butterfly, was very important in the liberation struggle. In 1985, although badly injured, Mazibuko, through the grace of God, survived a bomb explosion where he lost two friends. He was subsequently deployed into various countries, the last of which was Madagascar. Here he was the head of Radio Freedom - the radio broadcast arm of the ANC. With the ending of apartheid, Radio Freedom ceased to operate. After returning to South Africa from exile, Mazibuko was involved in the development of the YFM radio station, which is still one of the most popular youth stations in South Africa. He also participated in the creation of a large media house - United Allies Media. Since then, Mazibuko commented that he had been involved in many enterprises, some of which had been successful and others not. “Life is not always smooth,” he explains. These enterprises included agriculture and fish farming to promote food security. The development of the Cato Ridge Dry Port is his current focus. The motivation for this project is in his desire to uplift the local community of Cato Ridge. The project’s goal is the establishment of the Cato Ridge Intermodal Facility and Logistics Hub. “This is a community driven catalytic project which is of strategic importance to both the Province of KwaZulu-Natal and nationally. “I am not an honorary chairman, I am hands on, that is very important. I deal with strategic matters of the entire project including investment,” says Mazibuko. He has assembled a dedicated team of people who are passionate and are striving for the success of the project. He added that his role can be described as a ‘donkey’ one which is slow and methodical but will get the task completed before his presence is realised. “I don’t believe in shortcuts,” he commented. Mazibuko emphasized that the projects would have not been able to progress without the buy in from the province and at a national level. The stakeholders include KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala, the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, eThekwini Municipality, Transnet as well as the Amaximba community. “We are all proud that the project has now reached this level of recognition,” he commented. Significantly, the role of the community is not a rubberstamping exercise but a serious presence with whom constant engagement has occurred. Commenting on the plans for the logistics hub, Mazibuko said everyone will smile. “We have serious plans for the community. We will be building a state-of-the-art hospital and an innovation centre which will assist with training youth to be employed in the logistics hub. The goal is to make this area the “Midrand” of KwaZulu-Natal,” he concluded.

< Back Trisha Gokool Parshotam

< Back Sarah Whitaker Next On South Africa is a website that links consumers to suppliers across twelve categories, with a dedicated website for each category. "For example," says Sarah, "if you were planning a function, you could go onto the OnSA Celebrate site and find everything you need - caterers, photographers, florists, venues As an art teacher looking for art supplies, Sarah Whitaker did what we all do - she asked Google. But she didn't get the answers she was looking for. "Between the big stationery stores and paid ads, I just couldn't find the small, specialised suppliers I wanted," she said. Happily, her network of art teachers filled the gap and she discovered a rich resource of small businesses that had exactly what she needed - but couldn't find online. This was the inspiration for On South Africa (OnSA). Sarah realised that there was a host of small businesses offering products and services of real value - but unable to reach their target market. "I realised that being found online could make a huge difference in their sustainability and profitability, but most of them simply didn't have the resources and digital skills to make it happen." So, she set about creating a structure to help them do just that - without the high costs that usually accompany building a strong online presence. Easy access to specialist small businesses On South Africa is a website that links consumers to suppliers across twelve categories, with a dedicated website for each category. "For example," says Sarah, "if you were planning a function, you could go onto the OnSA Celebrate site and find everything you need - caterers, photographers, florists, venues." The OnSA categories include home, start-ups, social, "kidlets" and more. "Visitors get to search by province, they find suppliers relevant to them, and the small businesses have the chance to connect with customers in their local area." For Sarah, one of the key issues is that when visitors click on a business, they go to a profile page and get to go behind the scenes and find out about the people running the businesses. "With small businesses, relationships are important, and site visitors can connect with people they relate to." Sarah has also chosen not to allow any invasive or aggressive ads. There are no distracting pop-ups and no spam or click-bait on her sites. "It's just links to the websites of companies who can help you. You find out about the businesses who can give you what you need, and the people who run them. And we help them showcase their small businesses to people who are looking for their services, in their area." Women bring warmth to business Setting up On South Africa and its network of 12 websites, "so far", in 2017 was a major undertaking for a solo entrepreneur, and Sarah gives huge credit to her husband and friends and family who helped and supported her, "and brought me a constant stream of coffee". "I've been surrounded by strong, independent women my whole life, particularly my mother and my sister, and they've been a huge inspiration to me. And my family and friends have been an enormous support to me as I've grown my business." "I believe that women bring a warmth, and a more nurturing approach to business, and this can bring a different dimension to how we run our businesses. It's not that we need to behave differently than men in order to succeed," Sarah points out, "but often we just do." Sarah admits she's not good at work-life balance. Married to her childhood sweetheart, and with three beautiful daughters, her family is central to her life and her happiness. "I'm ADD*, but when I'm immersed in a project I can really focus on it, sometimes almost obsessively. I still sometimes pull all-nighters to get things done." So she's grateful for the help she gets from friends and family - and she's aiming to get the balance right soon. A strong believer that you can achieve anything if you believe in yourself, Sarah wishes she'd realised this when she was younger - because she would have taken on bigger challenges sooner! Big Dreams "I want to make a positive difference and empower and uplift as many small businesses as possible, and this is only the beginning," says Sarah. "Yes, I'm proud of what I'm doing - and that I'm helping other entrepreneurs while supporting various charities too. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself what I've achieved, because there's so much I want to do." Highly creative, Sarah not only does all the web design herself, she's is also a well-established glass artist with impressive credentials, including a 100 metre original artwork (yes, one hundred metres!) on the façade of the Bridge City shopping centre in KwaMashu, incorporating drawings by children in the KwaMashu area. On her LinkedIn profile, Sarah describes herself as the founder of On South Africa and creator of big dreams. Happily, her big dreams are also helping fulfil the dreams of other South African entrepreneurs. Previous Next

< Back Nontetho Smith Founder and Managing Director of Uthingo Mills Nontetho Smith was born in Nquthu, a rural town in northern KwaZulu-Natal. She later moved with her family to Durban. Today, she is the founder and managing director of Uthingo Mills, a successful agri-processing company producing one of South Africa’s most essential staple foods. Alongside this, she also runs a non-profit organisation, Look Up Ark, which supports people battling with addiction and alcoholism by helping them find recovery. In addition, she manages a small record label dedicated to South African gospel music, nurturing a few artists. Through her non-profit work, Nontetho regularly visits schools, gives talks on radio, and partners with organi sations addressing gender-based violence to discuss the link between substance abuse and domestic harm. For Nontetho, each of these ventures represents more than just business. “I have always been inspired to do something purposeful,” she says. “With my journey being one of recovery from addiction, that has become my inspiration to help others get to where I am.” CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Nontetho’s venture into maize milling can be traced back to her childhood. She recalls how her grandmother and great-grandmother would grind maize using a manual grinding machine to make maize meal for the community. “We never used to get a lot of visitors, but every Friday or Saturday, people would come to collect maize meal,” she remembers warmly. Years later, while listening to a radio interview in which a government official mentioned the lack of women in agriculture, that memory returned vividly. “The picture of my grandmother grinding maize came into my mind,” she says. That decision marked the birth of Uthingo Mills, an enterprise built with the vision of providing an affordable, high-quality product while creating jobs and uplifting communities. “When I studied marketing, I learnt that maize meal is a staple product,” she explains. “Even during Covid, when everything shut down, food remained a necessity.” For Nontetho, the true value of her company lies in the people who make it thrive. “I pay a lot of attention to the person, not just the deliverables,” she explains. “I take an interest in who I bring into my space, what their goals are, and how I can help make their lives better.” She recalls one story that reflects her leadership philosophy. “I needed someone to handle merchandising, and a young man was recommended to me,” she says. “He had been unemployed for five years and borrowed money just to come to the interview.” That man is now one of her most dedicated employees. “He has helped me get into shops I never thought I could reach. When people see that you value them, they give you their best.” BUILDING BEYOND BARRIERS Starting a maize milling business required not only vision but also immense financial courage. It took her three years to raise the required capital. She secured a contract with Spar even before she had the funds to begin production. “They told me that when I was ready, I could bring my brand in,” she says. “That opportunity gave me the leverage to raise the money.” Today, Uthingo Mills supplies to a range of distributors across KwaZulu-Natal, from KwaMashu and Phoenix to Kokstad and the South Coast. With the assistance of her husband, Chris Smith, the company has expanded into Gauteng, including Soweto and Johannesburg. “Our next goal is Limpopo,” she says. Her ambitions stretch beyond national borders. “There are opportunities in Congo and Zambia because they often buy from South Africa,” she explains. However, the path to success has not been without obstacles. “Maize meal is very price-sensitive,” Nontetho says. “If you are not in many regions, it is difficult to negotiate better prices or get discounts on packaging and supplies. Every time we grow into a new region, we need the same amount of capital to sustain that growth.” Mentorship has played a crucial role in her entrepreneurial development. At a milling conference in Johannesburg, she met a seasoned expert who became a long-term mentor. “Frans Duur has been my mentor for more than ten years now and has never failed to take my call.” His guidance helped her understand production processes, quality standards, and cost management. Reflecting on her own experience, Nontetho believes mentorship is indispensable for anyone starting a business. “It is important to understand the industry you are entering and whether it is profitable and sustainable,” she advises. “Get people who have been there before to guide you, even if only for a short time.” ALIGNED WITH PURPOSE Despite her busy schedule, Nontetho remains committed to her passion for helping others through Look Up Ark. “It is so fulfilling when someone calls to say, ‘I have not had a drink in three months because of what you said,’” she says. “Moments like that remind me why I do what I do.”Faith and spirituality also play a central role in her life. “I am a woman of faith, so prayer and meditation work for me,” she says. “There is a day called the Sabbath, a day of rest, when I switch off my phone and focus on recharging.” She also finds joy and relaxation through music, often listening to the gospel artists she manages. To the younger generation, Nontetho offers advice grounded in experience. “Try to align your work with your purpose,” she says. “There will be difficult times, and if your work does not fulfil you, it is easier to give up.” She recalls a conversation with a friend who had retired early but found herself unhappy. “She told me she had made enough money and now spends her mornings drinking because she feels purposeless,” Nontetho explains. “There needs to be something more than just making money. For me, purpose lies in helping people, whether through feeding communities, providing jobs, or guiding someone through recovery.” Her story is one of vision and perseverance. “At the end of the day,” she reflects, “if what I do touches even one life, then it has all been worth it." Previous Next

Gayle Adlam Editor-in-Chief