Veuve Clicquot Names 6 South Africa Finalists for 5th Bold Woman Awards
Updated
Updated · Mail and Guardian · Jul 13
Veuve Clicquot Names 6 South Africa Finalists for 5th Bold Woman Awards
1 articles · Updated · Mail and Guardian · Jul 13
Summary
Six finalists were unveiled for South Africa's fifth Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards, highlighting women founders building businesses around everyday problems rather than luxury or pure scale.
Three established finalists include Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa, who built Africa's first industrial-scale sanitary pad factory run entirely by women and secured more than R27 million during a cash crunch.
Sonto Pooe's Nativechild challenges multinational beauty brands with products for textured hair, while Xolile Mabuza's Tendalo Trading turns discarded rubber tubes into fashion accessories.
Three Bold Future finalists point to the next wave: Pretty Kubyane's AI-driven eFama links farmers and buyers, Tshaamano Mabuba's BuddyAI delivers multilingual tutoring on WhatsApp, and Maambele Khosa's SheCab targets women's safety and jobs.
Winners of the 2026 Bold Woman and Bold Future awards will be announced on July 15, as the program's fifth South African edition signals a broader shift toward impact-led entrepreneurship.
Can South Africa's tech entrepreneurs truly succeed when faced with fundamental barriers like power shortages and poor internet access?
Does celebrating social entrepreneurship place an unfair burden on women to fix societal problems while also building profitable businesses?
Why do investors ignore a 78-cent return from women-led startups while funding ventures that return only 31 cents?
Celebrating Five Years: The 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards and Their Transformative Impact on South African Women Entrepreneurs
Overview
The 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards celebrate their fifth year in South Africa, continuing a legacy inspired by Madame Clicquot. These awards honor visionary women entrepreneurs who are building successful businesses and shaping a better future for their communities and the nation. Structured into two categories—the Bold Woman Award for established leaders and the Bold Future Award for emerging innovators—the 2026 edition features six remarkable South African finalists. Among them, Maambele Khosa stands out for her women-led e-hailing service, SheCab, which addresses women's safety and empowerment in public transport.