Twenty Western Cape entrepreneurs have received funding and business support through the 2026 Bambelela Business Awards, strengthening small enterprises and local job creation across communities provincewide.
The Hollywood Foundation recognised the entrepreneurs at an awards ceremony held at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse under the theme “Empowered MSMEs, Empower Communities.”
The programme combines grant funding with business development, skills support, networks, market access and equipment aimed at helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises strengthen their operations and create sustainable economic opportunities.
Zola Mbaxa, founder of Just Hearing, took the overall award and received R145 000 in grant funding to support the continued growth of her audiology business.
Just Hearing provides services including hearing assessments, hearing aids and repairs, ear-wax removal, occupational health services and newborn hearing testing.
Mbaxa said the award would allow the business to expand its capacity while improving access to hearing healthcare.
“Winning the Bambelela Business Awards is an incredible honour and a meaningful milestone for Just Hearing,” she said.
“This recognition is a reminder that businesses built with purpose can make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Mbaxa said the funding would help strengthen the business and enable it to reach more people requiring quality hearing healthcare.
Puleng Babe, founder of Basadi Ambulance, placed second and received R115 000, while Cikizwa Vanana of Kuyenzeka Amalgamated Projects secured third place.
The remaining businesses in the top 20 received funding across sectors including agriculture, cleaning services, transport, fashion, crafts, beauty, hospitality and other community-based enterprises.
Among the businesses recognised were Diamond Sparkle Detergents, Mzansi Business Services, Agrikey Farming Projects, Earthleaf, Soul Harvest, Bravo Promotions, Khosi Creations and Khula Khula Transport Services.
House of Joslyn, Sivise Fishtank Holdings, Cents Check, Victori Studio, MSI Crafts Emporium and Academy and Shogoe Solutions were also among the businesses receiving support.
The awards are designed to help entrepreneurs move beyond survival by giving businesses access to resources that can improve production, expand services, reach new customers and support employment.
The Western Cape programme initially offered qualifying entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for a share of more than R1 million in business funding, with applicants required to operate within the province and demonstrate an established business track record.
The programme also prioritises businesses operating within communities where access to traditional finance, equipment and markets can remain difficult.
Hollywood Foundation Portfolio Manager Sphelele Ntombela said supporting small enterprises can help address unemployment by enabling businesses to create economic opportunities within their own communities.
“We have seen the great potential of MSMEs when they are supported, mentored and funded,” Ntombela said.
“They create employment opportunities in their communities, solving one of the most critical issues in our society, unemployment.”
The Western Cape awards form part of a national Bambelela programme that has expanded across provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Western Cape.
The Foundation said more than R6 million in grant funding has been directed to entrepreneurs nationally through the programme during 2026.
Previous Western Cape recipients have reported using Bambelela funding to purchase equipment, strengthen operations and expand their businesses, demonstrating how relatively targeted grants can help entrepreneurs move from growth plans into implementation.
For the 2026 winners, the longer-term measure of success will be whether the funding translates into stronger businesses, greater market access and sustainable employment.
The programme’s emphasis on equipment, skills, mentoring and networks recognises that access to capital alone does not always solve the challenges faced by small enterprises.
By combining financial support with practical business development, the Bambelela Business Awards aim to give entrepreneurs more of the tools required to build enterprises capable of surviving beyond their early stages.
For Mbaxa and the other Western Cape winners, the awards provide an opportunity to turn recognition into business growth while strengthening the economic role played by small enterprises within their communities.
