The Temvelo Environmental Awards 2025 celebrated outstanding individuals, organisations, initiatives, and changemakers who demonstrated meaningful commitment to environmental excellence, sustainability, innovation, and community impact.
This page honours the winners who stood out for their leadership, dedication, and contribution toward building a greener and more sustainable future. Their achievements reflect the purpose of Temvelo — to recognise positive environmental action, inspire continued progress, and encourage stronger collaboration across South Africa.
Explore the 2025 winners and discover the people and projects making a lasting difference in environmental stewardship.
Celebrating the 2025 Temvelo Award Winners
The 2025 Temvelo Environmental Awards proudly recognise the individuals, organisations, businesses, municipalities, schools, media voices, and community initiatives making a meaningful contribution to environmental progress.
These winners represent excellence across sustainable agriculture, conservation, waste management, circular innovation, green enterprise, land rehabilitation, education, media, community livelihoods, and environmental leadership. Their work reflects the true purpose of Temvelo — to honour practical action, inspire positive change, and showcase the people and projects building a greener, more sustainable future for South Africa.
Explore the 2025 winners and discover the outstanding achievements that continue to shape environmental stewardship, innovation, and impact across our communities.
1. Agri-Start-Up Award – Simangele Makutu, founder of Kefentse Multipurpose
Farming!
This year’s recipient is a determined and forward-thinking entrepreneur who has turned a passion for agriculture into a growing enterprise that feeds communities and empowers others. With a foundation in Agriculture from Ehlanzeni TVET College, she has built a thriving vegetable production business that supplies fresh produce to agrihubs and supermarkets in and around Bushbuckridge. Her start-up doesn’t just grow food it grows opportunities.
Currently employing eight people, her farm is a beacon of resilience, food security, and grassroots job creation. Her story reflects the spirit of sustainable development and youth-led transformation in agriculture. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 Agri-Start-Up Award goes to…
Simangele Makutu, founder of Kefentse Multipurpose Farming!
2. Sustainable Agriculture Award: Charllotte Mokoena Lydenburg Farmers Association
In an industry where efficiency often overshadows sustainability, one dairy farmer in Mpumalanga is proving that environmental stewardship, innovation, and community impact can thrive together. This initiative integrates renewable energy, precision agriculture, regenerative soil practices, and exceptional animal welfare standards to create a model of holistic sustainability. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% through solar power, to saving over 100,000 litres of water monthly via precision irrigation and rainwater harvesting, this farm is demonstrating how agriculture can combat climate change while improving biodiversity and soil health.
What makes this project extraordinary is its ripple effect beyond the farm gates—creating jobs, empowering local farmers through training, contributing to food security, and fostering strong community ties through education and food bank support. With measurable outcomes like a 20% rise in beneficial pollinators, a 40% drop in landfill waste, and 95% herd health and productivity rates, this farm stands as a beacon of innovation and responsibility. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2025 Temvelo Sustainable Agriculture Award is… Charlotte Mokoena.
3. Best Conservation Agriculture Award – ND Holdings Nkhensani Dlamini
This year’s award honours a conservation agriculture farmer who is transforming the land while uplifting the community. Through sustainable techniques like mulching, drip irrigation, crop rotation, and pesticide-free farming, this initiative protects soil health, conserves water, and invites nature’s own defender pollinators and pest-eating insects to thrive. It’s a living example of farming that restores, rather than depletes, the environment.
But it doesn’t stop at the farm gate. This farmer hosts workshops, shares indigenous knowledge, and creates green jobs equipping neighbours and fellow farmers to grow food naturally and protect their ecosystems. For restoring land, livelihoods, and local resilience, the
2025 Best Conservation Agriculture Award goes to… ND Holdings Nkhensani Dhlamini!
4. Community Livelihood Award – Nkomazi Environmental Forum!
This award recognises a community-based initiative that not only addresses environmental challenges but also strengthens livelihoods through local empowerment and environmental stewardship. In one of Mpumalanga’s most dynamic municipalities, this forum has led the way in mobilising stakeholders from schools to small businesses to turn climate action into a grassroots movement. With monthly clean-up campaigns, ongoing environmental awareness drives, and annual tree-planting activities, this initiative has improved soil health, air quality, and waste management, while inspiring a culture of environmental responsibility across the
region.
Beyond environmental impact, this initiative is transforming lives creating jobs through EPWP and CWP programmes, promoting income-generating recycling efforts, and mentoring youth through internships and learnerships. By building a circular, community-driven green economy and encouraging behaviour change through education and participation, it sets an example of what inclusive climate action looks like at the ground level. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2025 Temvelo Community Livelihood Award is… Nkomazi Environmental Forum!
5. Pollution Control – Waste Management Award Swikoxeni Waste Management!
“This award recognises excellence in pollution reduction and resource recovery, honouring organisations that demonstrate measurable impact in waste diversion, environmental protection, and community empowerment.”
This year’s honouree has transformed waste from a local challenge into a community asset. Operating from a rural base near the Kruger National Park, the organisation processes multiple waste streams including glass, plastics, cardboard, cans, and paper while creating jobs for local youth and delivering measurable environmental benefits
Through circular innovations, such as repurposing 200-litre fuel drums into community bins, they have diverted significant tonnages from landfill and prevented hundreds of tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Their partnerships with conservation authorities, local government, and schools have fostered a culture of recycling, supported public clean-up campaigns, and provided environmental education to the next generation
Their approach combines governance rigour, innovation, and community collaboration, offering a scalable model for waste management across South Africa.
Their approach combines governance rigour, innovation, and community collaboration, offering a scalable model for waste management across South Africa.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the winner of the 2025 Pollution
Management – Waste Management Award… Swikoxeni Waste Management!
Runner up
3(b) Sephephelo Trading & Projects (Louisa Magoro)
A community-focused recycler in Siyabuswa, Sephephelo aims to create livelihoods “through waste,” formalising intake with identity/address logs to deter crime and protect households. The application highlights operational basics calibrated scales and a baling machine and process control via a booking system that stores data automatically, alongside outreach on the 5Rs and basic hazardous/material separation guidance for clients. It references engagement by SAPS and PETCO, plus ambitions to serve as a buy-back centre, develop social initiatives (soup kitchen, elder care), and run education/awareness programs.
3C. Third Place: Africa Green Earth Projects NPC
In third place for the 2025 Waste Management Award is an initiative that exemplifies how local innovation and community involvement can drive environmental excellence. Africa Green Earth Projects NPC has empowered women and youth across six villages in Mpumalanga through waste recovery, river rehabilitation, and recycling education. Their pioneering work includes transforming recovered plastics into fencing poles and promoting environmental literacy through school programmes and awareness campaigns. For their outstanding contribution to sustainable waste solutions and circular innovation, we proudly recognise Africa Green Earth Projects NPC!
6. Circular Transition Award – Akhuhlalwa Nge Zandla Project – Contshe Cleaning and
Housekeeping Services!
In the informal settlements of Sabie Simile, one local enterprise is closing the gap between waste and value while closing the loop on pollution. Through weekly household waste collection, the rehabilitation of illegal dumping sites, and active recycling efforts, this project has not only restored environmental health in its community but also helped reduce the open burning of waste a major source of unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants (uPOPs). By preventing plastic and mixed waste from being burned or dumped, the project is directly improving air quality, soil integrity, and public health, while championing the principles of a
circular economy.
At the heart of this initiative is a people-powered movement: community members, especially youth, are employed to collect, sort, and prepare recyclables for resale to larger markets. This creates dignified green jobs, fosters behavioural change, and encourages local participation in material recovery. What began as a household waste collection service has evolved into a model for inclusive, circular innovation that protects ecosystems and livelihoods alike. For its measurable impact on reducing pollution, promoting environmental justice, and accelerating a just, circular transition, the 2025 Circular Transition Award goes to… Akhuhlalwa Nge
Zandla Project – Contshe Cleaning and Housekeeping Services!
7. Green SME & Start-Up Award
This award celebrates a young entrepreneur whose vision turns waste into beauty and environmental challenges into business opportunities. Our winner has mastered the art of transformation taking discarded materials and crafting them into stunning ornamental pieces that decorate homes, offices, and public spaces. In doing so, she not only diverts waste from landfills but also proves that sustainability and creativity can thrive together.
Her work inspires others to see waste differently not as rubbish, but as a resource sparking both environmental awareness and local economic growth. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 Green SME & Start-Up Award goes to… Bagezile Zandamela!
8. Mining Energy Efficiency Innovation Award: Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd.
In an era where the mining sector faces intense pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, one operation has proven that large-scale mining and sustainability can work hand in hand. By commissioning a 10-megawatt, grid-tied solar photovoltaic plant—designed to outlive the life of the mine—this initiative is preventing an estimated 22,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere each year. Beyond carbon savings, it has reduced harmful air pollutants, improved energy reliability, and shielded operations from the volatility of electricity tariffs and load curtailment, setting a new benchmark for clean energy integration in mining.
What makes this project truly exceptional is its ripple effect training and upskilling workers in renewable energy, inspiring schools and communities through awareness programmes, and opening opportunities for local contractors and youth. It is a flagship example of how innovation, environmental stewardship, and community benefit can be woven into one sustainable legacy. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2025 Temvelo Energy Efficiency Innovation Award is… Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd.
9. Outstanding Land Rehabilitation Award: Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd.
Mining often leaves behind a legacy of degraded land and lost biodiversity, but one operation in Mpumalanga is proving that with vision, science, and commitment, these scars can be transformed into thriving ecosystems. At Fairview Mine, historic mining dumps have been reshaped, stabilised, and restored in line with South Africa’s environmental laws and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Through the removal of invasive alien plants, reintroduction of indigenous species, and restoration of riverine systems, this initiative has not only stabilised soils and reduced pollution risks, but also created biodiversity corridors that will serve both nature and people for generations.
What makes this achievement exceptional is the mine’s concurrent rehabilitation strategy— restoring land while operations continue—combined with cutting-edge monitoring tools such as drones, satellite imagery, and GIS mapping to track vegetation recovery. Local contractors and community members are central to the process, gaining employment, skills, and the opportunity to apply restoration techniques in other projects. This is more than compliance; it is environmental leadership that unites ecological restoration, community empowerment, and industry innovation. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2025 Temvelo Outstanding Land Rehabilitation Award is… Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd.
10. Emerging Green Contractor Award:The Emerging Green Contractor Award goes to…
Benex Trading!
This award honours a young and dynamic contractor who is redefining what it means to build sustainably. The Emerging Green Contractor Award goes to a company that not only delivers high-quality construction and civil works, but does so while integrating environmental responsibility, social inclusion, and long-term community value into every project.
The recipient of this award has demonstrated strong alignment with sustainable practices minimising pollution, complying with environmental regulations, and ensuring the protection of vulnerable ecosystems across dozens of public infrastructure projects. This contractor has also shown exceptional commitment to youth employment, skills development, and uplifting previously disadvantaged groups, all while maintaining safety and technical excellence on site.
The recipient of this award has demonstrated strong alignment with sustainable practices minimising pollution, complying with environmental regulations, and ensuring the protection of vulnerable ecosystems across dozens of public infrastructure projects. This contractor has also shown exceptional commitment to youth employment, skills development, and uplifting previously disadvantaged groups, all while maintaining safety and technical excellence on site.
With a growing footprint across Mpumalanga and beyond, this contractor is not just building roads and houses they’re building a greener, more inclusive future.
The Emerging Green Contractor Award goes to… Benex Trading!
11. Product Innovation Award: Basadi Group (Pty) Ltd
“The Sustainable Construction Industry Award recognizes organizations that integrate environmental stewardship into the very foundations of building and infrastructure, setting new benchmarks for innovation, responsibility, and community impact.”
This year’s recipient is a 100% South African-owned, women-led company transforming construction and facilities management in Mpumalanga. By championing SAPCA-accredited, low-toxicity pest management solutions and developing their own eco-coatings, they are proving that pest control does not have to come at the expense of the environment. Their approach replaces hazardous, chemical-intensive methods with biodegradable, South African- sourced alternatives protecting biodiversity, safeguarding water and soil quality, and ensuring healthier indoor and outdoor environments.
These sustainable practices not only deliver measurable environmental results such as reduced pest incidents and safer building spaces but also strengthen local communities through youth training, job creation, and inclusive value chains. By merging sustainability with innovation, they are building a climate-resilient future, one project at a time.
These sustainable practices not only deliver measurable environmental results such as reduced pest incidents and safer building spaces but also strengthen local communities through youth training, job creation, and inclusive value chains. By merging sustainability with innovation, they are building a climate-resilient future, one project at a time.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the winner of the 2025 Sustainable Construction Industry Award… Basadi Group (Pty) Ltd!
12. Wildlife Conservation Education Award – Mahushe Shongwe Nature Reserve,
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency!
In rural areas where conservation education is often out of reach, one nature reserve has bridged the gap bringing biodiversity awareness and environmental responsibility directly into schools and communities. Through mobile learning kits, youth-led bird monitoring, indigenous knowledge sharing, and creative storytelling, this initiative has empowered over 1,500 learners and community members. It has removed hundreds of kilograms of waste from wetlands, planted indigenous trees, reduced illegal burning, and revived appreciation for species like the African Fish Eagle and the Barn Swallow.
But its greatest impact lies in the minds it has opened and the behaviour it has changed. By blending science, culture, and community ownership, this education programme is building the next generation of environmental stewards in Mpumalanga. For its innovation, reach, and measurable impact on both people and nature, the 2025 Wildlife Conservation Education Award goes to… Mahushe Shongwe Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency!
13. Green School Initiative Award – Pre school
14. Green School Initiative Award – Primary (Lethukuthula primary school)
15. Green School Initiative Award –Secondary
16. Green Municipality Award Profile: City of Mbombela
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2025 Green Municipality Award is a local authority that has fully embraced sustainability as a pillar of service delivery and development. This municipality has excelled in environmental governance, implementing policies and plans that address waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, and public empowerment. From licensed waste disposal sites and registered waste pickers to LED streetlight retrofitting and tree-planting initiatives aligned with national targets, their approach reflects a comprehensive and integrated environmental strategy.
They have further demonstrated excellence through strong community engagement, commemorating environmental calendar days, running effective education campaigns, and ensuring active citizen participation in environmental decision-making. Their dedication to improving air and water quality, reducing uPOPs, and promoting circular economy solutions is both commendable and impactful. For this holistic, people-centered, and results-driven approach to green development, the 2025 Green Municipality Award goes to… the City of Mbombela!
16B Runner up: Ehlanzeni District Municipality
Ladies and gentlemen, the runner up of the Green Municipality is a municipality that has shown remarkable commitment to environmental sustainability through integrated planning, strategic partnerships, and community empowerment. From driving district-wide waste management and clean-up initiatives to supporting environmental education in schools and commemorating key environmental days, this municipality has embedded green practices into its core operations. It has played a pivotal role in supporting local municipalities with environmental compliance, advancing frameworks for climate change response, and promoting behaviour change across communities. For its leadership in environmental governance, cross-sector collaboration, and its people-centred approach to sustainability, the
2025 Green Municipality Award goes to… Ehlanzeni District Municipality!
17. Green Journalist – Print Media Award Lwazi Raul-Shongwe!
“The Green Journalist – Print Media Award celebrates reporters who use the power of the written word to inform, inspire, and mobilize communities towards environmental action.”
This year’s honoree has delivered outstanding coverage of plastic pollution in Mpumalanga, with a standout feature on the Ehlanzeni District Municipality clean-up initiatives. The reporting goes far beyond describing littered streets it investigates the systemic drivers of plastic waste and presents coordinated measures to address it, including public education campaigns, targeted clean-ups in hotspot are and law enforcement partnerships
By naming specific locations, stakeholders, and actions, this journalist transforms plastic pollution from an abstract environmental concern into a tangible, local challenge that can be solved. The work has inspired both government and community action, directly advancing the Temvelo Awards’ goals of improving environmental performance, promoting efficient resource use, and generating social benefits through inclusive participation.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the winner of the 2025 Green Journalist – Print Media Award… Lwazi Raul-Shongwe!
18. Environmental Media House (Print) – Local (Emsamo News)
This year’s award goes to a media house whose storytelling turns environmental problems into community action plans. They’ve shone a spotlight on youth-led sustainable farming, exposed threats to biodiversity with powerful Cape vulture poisoning coverage, and reframed municipal clean-ups as systems-based solutions to plastic pollution.
With vivid features, step-by-step solutions, and reporting that empowers residents, businesses, and officials to act, they have inspired long-term change across Mpumalanga. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 Environmental Media House (Print) – Local Award goes to… Emsamo News!
19. Young Eco-Hero Award: Nothando Nkosi!
The Young Eco-Hero Award celebrates a rising environmental champion someone who is using their voice, creativity, and courage to inspire action and awareness on the issues affecting our planet. This award goes to a young individual who has demonstrated exceptional initiative in environmental education and advocacy, sparking meaningful conversations within their school and community.
This year’s recipient stood out for creating a powerful visual campaign that highlighted the impact of pollution on our earth. Through a well-researched and visually striking poster, this young changemaker engaged over 40 peers in conversations about sustainability, pollution, and the need for personal responsibility. Her project not only educated it empowered. She harnessed the power of art, media, and storytelling to challenge habits, provoke reflection, and drive positive change.
She is not only an artist and poet, but a passionate environmental advocate committed tousing her talents to build a cleaner, greener future. Her voice represents the future of activism in South Africa. The 2025 Young Eco-Hero Award goes to… Nothando Nkosi!
19. Women Champion of the Environment Award: Ms Rirhandzu Marah Ntusi!
The Women Champion of the Environment Award honours a remarkable woman whose leadership, expertise, and dedication are shaping a more sustainable and resilient future. This award recognises a female environmental professional who has gone above and beyond in advancing environmental governance, building capacity, and championing change within her community and beyond
This year’s honouree is a highly qualified environmentalist with over a decade of experience in the field. Her portfolio spans every key aspect of environmental management — from air quality and water protection to waste management, climate change, biodiversity, and enforcement. Her technical knowledge is matched by her strategic role in supporting local municipalities across the district, ensuring compliance, sustainability, and service delivery in complex and often under-resourced settings.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa and is currently pursuing her PhD from the same institution — demonstrating not only commitment to the environment but to lifelong learning and leadership in the field.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in celebrating the 2025 Women Champion of the
Environment… Ms Rirhandzu Marah Ntusi!
