The winners of the Ilembe Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneur 2019 were recently announced at a function held at the SMD Ballito showroom.

The Entrepreneur is a flagship business accelerator programme coordinated by the Ilembe Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism that enables the viability and growth of SMMEs within the iLembe District.

The winner of The Entrepreneur 2019 competition was Isabel Mbali Khumalo, owner of Taste KZN. The Taste KZN cafe specializes in African cuisine and offers pop-up cafes, pop-up bars and private catering for corporate and private functions.

Second placed winner was Venusha Moodley-Nirmal of LittleAngels Pet Nutrition.

Third place was awarded jointly to Jon Roberts and Guy Bower, owners of eco-friendly and fashionable accessories brand Husk Eco Luxe based in Ballito, and Zandile Ndlovu from Mandeni who formed Masisweni Co-op, a cultivation effort on tribal land that supplies vegetables to the local community.

The iLembe Chamber's partners in The Entrepreneur 2019 business accelerator programme are Enterprise iLembe, King Shaka International Airport, The North Coast Courier, Siza Water Ballito and ENGIE Peakers Operations.

The Entrepreneur programme is an accredited short course with the UKZN Graduate School of Business & Leadership, the Chamber's academic partners in the delivery of the programme.

The 2019 competition was the ninth year of the programme which celebrates excellence in entrepreneurship, serving as an inspiration to others to succeed in the world of business.