Brightest and best of business in the region honoured

In a glittering event themed “A Night in Africa”, the Border-Kei Chamber of Business (BKCOB) honoured exceptional business leaders at the International Conference Centre in East London on Friday night.

The annual Business Awards, initiated a year ago, are intended to honour outstanding individuals and businesses for their contributions to the economy of the Border-Kei region.

Two new categories were introduced this year from the previous year’s six categories — a posthumous business legend award and a social entrepreneur category.

Vrij and Karuna Harry, of Harry’s Printers, as well as Jonathan Schewitz, received posthumous awards.

Vrij was the MD of East London’s Harry’s Group, which grew from Harry’s Printers, the Eastern Cape’s largest printing firm.

After taking over the family business — established in 1929 — from his father in 1973, he grew Harry’s Printers into a formidable business with branches in East London, Gqeberha, Qonce and Pretoria.

Karuna lived in Johannesburg with her family, where she studied psychology, moving to East London and marrying Vrij in the mid-1970s.

She was the HR director of the company until she suffered a debilitating stroke in 2021.

She died in May 2023, a year after Vrij’s passing, in 2022 aged 70.

Schewitz worked at the family businesses, Atlas Dry Cleaners and Launderers, and Atlas Filter Company.

He built the filtration system for the Sydney International Aquatic Centre for the 2,000 Olympic Games in Australia, as well as a water park in Dubai, and carried out major installations at the Joan Harrison Aquatic Centre in East London and other municipal swimming pools around the country.

Vrij and Karuna’s children, and Schewitz’s son, Larry, accepted the awards.

The Business Legend award went to Christoph Köpke, who was instrumental in solving some of Mercedes-Benz SA’s strike conflicts in the 1980s and 1990s when the company was on the verge of closing the East London plant.

Since 1989, Köpke had served as chair of the board of management of the production and sales subsidiary DaimlerChrysler South Africa.

In addition to serving as head of the SA Chamber of Business, Köpke has been an honorary member of the Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering since 2003.

Along with the 2023 winner, Ian Russell, Köpke played a role in rescuing the company from chaos.

His award was presented by recently retired  MBSA human resources director and current BKCOB president Johann Evertse.

In his acceptance speech, he said it would have been impossible without a solid team supporting him.

“When you have a good team behind you, it is easy to achieve your targets. I am grateful that some of them are here today,” he said.

Broubart Security won the Business Gold Category award.

Established in 1994, Broubart Security has evolved from guarding, alarm and cleaning services into a comprehensive provider of innovative security solutions.

Embracing the ethos “driven by people, powered by technology”, Broubart has rapidly expanded its AI-based technology division, becoming one of SA’s fastest-growing AI security companies.

Runners-up were Global Business Solutions’ (GBS) joint CEO John Botha and Bate Chubb & Dickson attorney Angus Warren.

Businesswoman of the Year went to Yoliswa Balfour.

Balfour is a founder of Lithemba Investments, a woman-led company with significant investment portfolios, including blue-chip coal mining assets and equity in one of the leading oil companies.

Over the years, her business grew steadily, and progressed to fuel and franchised restaurants in Eastern Cape towns.

She said she was humbled by the experience.

Runners-up were Africa for Africa Women’s Conference president Nombulelo Hackula and IC Clark Inc’s Paula Pinto De Azevedo.

Woman-owned KwaKuhle African Cuisine’s Siphokuhle Matiwane won the coveted Emerging Entrepreneur award. Gary Ndlovu of Multimedia Worx was runner-up.

Matiwane broke down in tears as Eastern Cape Development Corporation CEO Ayanda Wakaba handed her the award.

“This [award] is for the young black entrepreneurs; for those from the township and those who came before me,” she said.

“I’m lost for words, honestly, but I’d like to give much appreciation to the chamber and my support structure, my team,” she told the Dispatch.

“When I came here I thought this is a big thing; now I can say KwaKuhle is a big thing.”

NVest Financial Holdings took the Corporate Platinum category, ahead of Daimler Trucks SA and the East London Development Zone (ELIDZ).

Jon Schulein, director of Green Dot Media, won the Entrepreneur category.

Runners-up were Sinethemba Sakuba of Electrical Electronics Quality Solutions and Mark Kingon of Kingons.

Dr Paul Cromhout took home the Social Entrepreneur award on behalf of the Small Projects Foundation Trust, which was not advertised.

In 2010, the organisation initiated the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme to reduce the number of people affected by HIV/Aids in the province.

The chamber’s chief executive, Lizelle Maurice, said Cromhout’s impact made him a deserving winner. 

“When we heard his story and the impact he makes across the globe, we said this individual needs to be recognised. He gave birth to this category.”

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