BY PHESHEYA KUNENE – EDITOR
MANZINI — The scent of victory hung thick in the air at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre last night, where Eswatini’s entrepreneurial spirit was celebrated in grand style.
Amid glittering lights, thunderous applause, and the royal presence of His Majesty King Mswati III, one truth emerged as clear as day, agriculture had won big.
This year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA 2025) belonged to the soil. The nation’s heartbeat, its farmers, growers, and agri-innovators, rose to the top, producing more than three winners from the agribusiness sector, with Duncan Dlamini, the visionary Director of DJD Investments (Pty) Ltd, leading the charge.
Crowned Entrepreneur of the Year, Dlamini’s triumph was a mighty reminder that the fields are no longer the backdrop of success but they are the main stage.
A Crown for the Fields
His Majesty, in his keynote address, spoke with both pride and conviction as he urged the business community to continue shaping the Kingdom’s economic destiny.
“As we gather here today, each of us plays a vital role in advancing the Kingdom’s economy,” the King declared.
“I encourage all businesspeople to make full use of this opportunity to address their challenges and find solutions that will foster progress. Tonight, we witness the continued growth of entrepreneurs across the Kingdom, which is truly inspiring. The future of our nation is indeed bright.”
His Majesty’s words echoed a national vision, one where innovation springs from the land, and where agribusiness is not seen as old-fashioned toil, but as modern enterprise driving Eswatini’s economic transformation.
From Tech to Trotters — The Rise of DJD Pork
When Duncan Dlamini traded computers for cattle pens, few could have predicted that his bold leap would redefine Eswatini’s agricultural landscape. A former ICT engineer who once designed enterprise systems in South Africa, Dlamini returned home with nothing but a severance package and a dream, to build something tangible, sustainable, and homegrown.
That dream became DJD Pork, a thriving commercial piggery in Matsetsa, Lubombo Region, producing over 80 pig carcasses weekly and employing 18 young people. Supported by Eswatini Bank and the Eswatini Agriculture Development Fund (EADF), his business now stands as a model of innovation and resilience.
“I wanted to build an asset, not just a CV,” Dlamini reflected after his win.
“Agriculture gave me freedom, but it also allowed me to create opportunities for others. My goal is to see more young people return to the land, not out of desperation, but out of vision.”
His victory prize, a brand-new Toyota Hilux bakkie worth over E600 000, sponsored by FNB Eswatini, is more than a symbol of success. It is a testament to what disciplined ambition, guided by purpose, can achieve.
Agriculture: The Heartbeat of Enterprise
This year’s awards made one thing unmistakable, the future of Eswatini’s entrepreneurship is rooted in agribusiness. From farms to green tech, agriculture dominated the winners’ circle.
Among the notable winners:
Fortune Maseko, crowned National Outstanding Agribusiness for his exemplary work in sustainable pig farming under Fortune Piggery.
Gugu Magagula, whose Grow Pure Farm Produce won Outstanding Youth-Owned Business for its innovation in organic food production.
Malibongwe Xaba, founder of Ehome Africa, took home the Outstanding Green Business award for eco-conscious housing solutions that blend sustainability with modern design.
Each of them, in their own way, reaffirmed that agriculture is not merely a tradition, it is a thriving enterprise shaping Eswatini’s industrial identity.
A Future Fertile with Possibility
For the sponsors and organisers, the awards are not just about trophies, they are about cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship that feeds into the Kingdom’s broader economic goals. FNB Eswatini CEO Thokozani ‘TK’ Dlamini, in his address, reaffirmed the bank’s long-term commitment to nurturing local businesses.
“We believe in partnerships that grow prosperity,” he said.
“Our collaboration with the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is about more than recognition, it is about empowering the nation’s visionaries to keep Eswatini open for business.”
Beyond the Stage
As the lights dimmed and the applause subsided, Duncan Dlamini’s victory felt larger than one man’s achievement, it was a collective triumph for every farmer who wakes before dawn, for every youth who dares to dream beyond the city, and for every Swati entrepreneur who sees possibility in the soil beneath their feet.
EYA 2025 has shown that the future of Eswatini’s economy will not be built in boardrooms alone, it will be grown, nurtured, and harvested from the fields.
And as the King’s words lingered through the hall — “The future of our nation is indeed bright” — one could not help but believe that the seeds of that future have already been planted.
