Business achievement, leadership and community service took centre stage at the South African Council for Business Women’s (SACBW) national gala and recognition awards, held at the Diaz Hotel in Mossel Bay on Saturday, 24 October.
Esme Alberts, director of Mossel Bay’s Absolute Security, received the evening’s highest honour when she was named National Business Woman of the Year and SACBW Brand Ambassador. Angelique Erasmus, owner and editor of Die Hoorn, attended as a guest and presented Alberts with the Rika Venter floating trophy.
The presentation carried a personal connection: Venter was Erasmus’s grandmother, the founder of the SACBW and its first president in 1988. Her work helped open doors for women in business, establishing a legacy that continues through the council’s activities today.
This year’s awards recognised women at different stages of their careers, alongside those contributing through community service and leadership within the organisation. The SACBW supports women in business by creating opportunities to connect, share knowledge and develop their enterprises.
Its association with the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHi) as well as other associates, also connects the organisation with the broader business community. National president Dr Ziva Spangenberg, who, with the support of Hanlie Delport and Hester du Bruyn and her council, has helped grow the organisation to more than 700 members across South Africa. “It makes me proud to see the wonderful work this organisation does.
Ziva’s dedication is creating opportunities for women to connect, grow and support one another. My grandmother wanted women to have the confidence and support to pursue their dreams.
Through their work, her vision and legacy live on,” Erasmus said. That commitment extends to the next generation through the SACBW Foundation NPC Bursary Fund, which aims to help academically deserving young women who face financial barriers to studying after matric.
Plans are also underway to establish an SACBW branch in Oudtshoorn, bringing opportunities for networking, support and collaboration closer to women in the Klein Karoo.
“We are excited about what lies ahead for the Klein Karoo and the many dynamic, talented women who call it home. There is so much knowledge, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit here. We look forward to building a branch where women can share ideas, support one another and create new opportunities together,” Erasmus said.
For Erasmus, presenting the trophy bearing her grandmother’s name was both a celebration of the organisation’s history and a reminder of the work still ahead. Establishing an Oudtshoorn branch will bring that legacy closer to home.
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