The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), recently announced the winners of the 2019 KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Exporter of the Year Awards.

The 2019 KZN Exporter of the Year Award Winners and Finalists are:

NEW, SMALL AND MEDIUM: Sponsored by Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA KZN)
Winner: Imperial Armour
Finalists: Africa!Ignite, Minnie's Food Enterprise CC, Tribucraft (Pty) Ltd

LARGE: Sponsored by Transnet Port Terminals (TPT)
Winner: Sappi Southern Africa Limited
Finalist: Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd

AFRICA: Sponsored by Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN)
Winner: Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Finalists: Imperial Armour, Sappi Southern Africa Limited

SERVICE PROVIDERS: Sponsored by Vodacom Business
Winner: Mediterranean Shipping Company (Pty) Ltd
Finalists: Evergreen Agency SA (Pty) Ltd, Kuehne & Nagel South Africa

MANUFACTURERS: Sponsored by Transnet Port Terminals
Winner: Imperial Armour
Finalists: Sappi Southern Africa Limited, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd

STAKEHOLDERS: Sponsored by Durban ICC
Recipient: The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs

Durban Chamber Deputy President, Gladwin Malishe said, "These awards aim to recognise and celebrate exporters in the province, to highlight the success of local businesses as well as stimulate the growth of the economy by encouraging other companies to strive for similar achievements in order for our province to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development. This year we made some changes to the Awards, reducing the number of categories in an effort to streamline our internal processes. We also reviewed the awards presentation format to progress the event on crucial export focus areas. We expect the Awards to continue to evolve as we realign our strategy to promote emerging exporter development."

"With the global economy in a state of flux and several developed economies becoming more protectionist, KwaZulu-Natal and our emerging exporters need to scout for non-traditional points of entry into the global market, which are more open and have more liberal trade policies and procedures such as China. This is an ideal time to visit a growth market like China if you have export aspirations hence the theme for our event being Shanghai Nights," added Malishe.
At the Awards Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) Acting Chief Executive, Michelle Phillips launched the Emerging Exporters Development Programme, a joint initiative by TPT and the Durban Chamber to develop emerging exporters. The beneficiaries of the TPT and the Durban Chamber Emerging Exporters Development Programme are Get2Natural Beauty (Pty) Ltd; Gugu Mobile Boutique (Pty) Ltd; Samac Engineering Solutions (Pty) Ltd; Siyazenzela Trailers & Truck Bodies; and Zikhe (Pty) Ltd.

Michelle Phillips, Acting Chief Executive at Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) said, "This is not just another awards event. The KZN Exporter of the Year Awards are an annual platform for every exporter in KZN to stand up and be counted for their immense contribution to the economy, job creation and relationship building offshore. The approach to ensure inclusion is long-term where TPT is developing manufacturers who have largely been operating domestically, to grow into exporters for increased economic activity and for the growth of participation at the award."

At the Awards Banquet, the Durban Chamber CEO, Palesa Phili thanked the title sponsor, Transnet Port Terminals as well as other event sponsors; namely, TIKZN, and SEDA for their contribution to making the awards and banquet a success.

"The Durban Chamber would also like to thank the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Durban, for partnering with us to showcase China's cultural heritage and trade potential. Additionally, the Durban Chamber provides platforms for the business community to interact and transact and we are proud of our members who have helped us to facilitate this year's event; namely, Vodacom Business, Durban ICC, Mlaba Marketing, Somibo, I-Cube, Kenako Multimedia and the Durban Music School, as well as we want to express our thanks to our media partner, Independent Media's The Mercury, for the exposure and media coverage for this crucial economic activity," said Phili. 

www.durbanchamber.co.za