SADC Quality Awards ceremony held to recognise excellence in the region

The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held a ceremony on the sidelines of the SADC Technical Barriers to Trade Cooperation Structures Meetings to announce the results of the 2025-26 SADC Quality Awards competition for both companies and individuals in the region. The Awards Ceremony was held at Premier hotel in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa on the 25th March 2026.

The SADC Quality Awards were established following the Decision of the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade in 2009 to encourage public and private companies to apply and conform to international standards in their daily business operations. 

The Quality Awards are an annual feature in the SADC calendar and recognise companies and individuals within the region who are contributing immensely to quality advancement across all sectors of SADC, by putting in place measurement and quality systems, procedures and processes which are in line with local, regional and international standards and who use quality development to support national and regional economic growth.

The Quality Awards are in the five (5) categories, namely; the company of the year, the product of the year, the service of the year, the exporter of the year and an individual of the year.

The Company of the year (Large Enterprise) was won by Zambia Sugar Plc from Zambia and the first runner up went to Said Salim Bakhresa & Co. Ltd from the United Republic of Tanzania while the second runner up went to Swakop Uranium (Pty) Ltd from Namibia. 

In the company of the year (Small Medium Enterprise), the first prize went to National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) from Kingdom of Eswatini while first and second runner ups went to CAPS LTD and Integrated Properties (Pvt) Ltd from United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe respectively. 

The product of the year category was won by AZAM Home Baking Flour - Said Salim Bakhresa & Co. Ltd from United Republic of Tanzania while first and second runner ups went to D'lite Baby Cereal - Royal Oak from Zambia and Post-Consumer Recycled Pellets - Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd from Namibia. 

The service of the year (Large Enterprise) first prize went to Farmer Development Services - National Maize Corporation from Kingdom of Eswatini, while first and second runner ups were Government Payment Service-Centro de Desenvolvimento de Sistemas de Informação de Finanças, Instituto Público (CEDSIF, IP) and Handling, Storage, Processing of Tobacco Products - Tobacco Processors Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd from Mozambique and Zimbabwe respectively. 

The service of the year (Small and Medium Enterprise) award was won by Sanitation and Cleaning Services - CAPS Ltd from United Republic of Tanzania, while the second runner up went to Training Services - Technical Center for Climate Change and Agriculture Development from Zambia.

The exporter of the year (Large Enterprise) category first prize went to Rhodes Food Group Eswatini (Pty) Ltd from Kingdom of Eswatini, followed by Chilanga Cement Plc from Zambia and Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Pvt) Ltd from Zimbabwe as first and second runners up respectively.

The individual of the year first prize was awarded to Mr. Isaac Mlambo from Zimbabwe, followed by Ms Cebsile Bhembe from Kingdom of Eswatini as first runner up and Mr. Iddi Hatibu Mvungi from United Republic of Tanzania as second runner up.

Dr Tebogo Makube, Acting Deputy Director General: Sectors from the Department of Trade Industry and Competition of the Republic of South Africa delivered the keynote address. He highlighted that the aim of the awards is to recognise and appreciate organisations and individuals who are contributing to quality advancement in all sectors of the economy, by having measurement and quality systems, procedures and processes that are in line with local, regional and international practices.

Mr. Dhunraj Kassee, Director of Industrial Development and Trade at SADC Secretariat commended all the organisations and Individuals who entered the 2025-2026 Quality Awards competition and encouraged other Members States to organise their National Quality Award Competitions and to assist the national winners to submit entries to the regional competition.

He said the competition encourages both the public and private sectors and individuals to adopt and comply with international standards in their day-to-day activities and afford them the opportunity to be regionally recognised and celebrated.

The ceremony also recognised the excellent contribution rendered by experts from the region who served in the SADC TBT Cooperation Structures. Mrs Belinda Soko Kancheya and Ms Romana Marunda were recognised for their contribution to advancement of standardisation through SADC Cooperation in Standardisation (SADCSTAN) serving in different structure’s governing bodies while Mr Donald Masuku was recognised for his extensive and excellent coordination of SADC Cooperation in Measurement Traceability (SADCMET).