The Women’s Voice Competition, now in its second year, continues to highlight the remarkable achievements and aspirations of women making a difference in agriculture and rural communities.
This year attracted some truly inspiring entries from across the country, each reflecting a story of resilience, leadership, and innovation in the sector.
After a rigorous evaluation process, five finalists were invited to a prestigious gala event at Villa Arcadia on the Hollard campus in Parktown, Johannesburg, where anticipation ran high as guests awaited the announcement of the overall winner.
The 5 finalists were:
- Alani Janeke – communicator.
- Elaine van Eeden – breeder and researcher.
- Heleen Viljoen – agricultural economist.
- Prudence Thulisile Mokwena - farmer and founder of RBKM Chickens
- Sarah Malatjie – project administrator.
During the event the finalists had one last opportunity to share their views on the topic of their choice and how that is impacting on their lives, careers in agriculture, in their communities or the environment.
We are proud to announce that Elaine van Eeden is the 2025 winner of the Women’s Voice Competition. Elaine elaborated on her passion for wheat breeding, finding solutions to address challenges farmers have to cope with seasonally, but also to conform to the standards and needs of the milling and baking industries. An independent panel of judges chose the winner based on a final round of discussions.
The two runners-up were:
- Frist runner-up (second place) Heleen Viljoen – agricultural economist.
- Second runner-up (third place) Alani Janeke – communicator.
In a heartfelt acceptance speech, Elaine dedicated her victory to every woman working tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure the sector’s sustainability and progress, but especially to the team working with her on the research farm in the greenhouse.
“After reviewing the entries, it is unfortunate only five finalists could be selected. All the women who participated, whether it was in a professional, leadership or technical role, are winners for their contributions to agriculture. The entries highlighted the sector’s vast possibilities and emphasised the meaningful role women play in agricultural sector. I feel that each of the woman showed courage to enter and is therefore already a winner. By participating she has contributed towards her own personal development. Congratulations to all of them,” Magda du Toit, Director Future Agri Perspectives said.
Du Toit urged women in the sector to continue championing diversity in agriculture, emphasising that every story shared, every barrier broken, and every innovation fostered contributes to a brighter, more inclusive agricultural sector for all.
“By sharing their insights, the finalists in the 2025 competition shed new light on many aspects impacting on agriculture,” says Andries Wiese, business development manager at Hollard and main sponsor of the competition.
He added the women participating in the competition have the responsibility to help those that will join the sector in the future to find their feet within this space.
Apart from Hollard, the other sponsor partners were Syngenta Seed, Empire Fleet Solutions, NWK, and FNB. “Without the support of our sponsors, a competition and an event such as this would not have possible,” Du Toit said.
Roean Wessels, Head Research and Development Syngenta Seed Sub-Saharan Africa, said during the awards function that confident women who speak for agriculture on national and global stages were important. “Events such as this create the platform for discussion and for everyone to take park in those discussions and that was the reason why Syngenta is involved in the initiative.”
Anna- Marie van Rooyen Group Company Secretary & Head Legal Counsel at NWK used ants as examples of how women can create an enabling environment for all to participate in the sector on various levels. “When we look at the characteristics ants display, we can learn a great deal from them. From them we can learn to work hard, work smart, focus on common goals, incorporate others and be strong. Partnerships are important to NWK, and we hope that through this partnership with Agri Future Perspectives and this competition, we can work together to achieve a common goal – a more inclusive agricultural sector.”
Erica Carstens, Group CEO Empire Fleet stressed that empowerment of women was extremely important to her company. ”Once you have empowered a women, you are empowering a community and indeed the world. When a women in empowered a legacy begins!”
Kgomotso Ngoetjane on behalf of FNB pointed out that their wish as partners in this competition is encourage women to be part of discussions. “We believe women that are authentic in their actions can lead and thrive in the agricultural sector.”
In addition, women who played pioneering roles in agriculture were also honoured and recognised for their significant contributions throughout their careers. “These awards serve to honour women who paved the way so that others can follow in their footsteps. The tributes highlighted the journeys each of these women had undertaken to reach success. Their stories—marked by challenges overcome and dreams pursued—serve as a reminder that women’s voices are not just about recognition, but about inspiring the next wave of leaders in agriculture,” Du Toit stated.
The following women were honoured:
- Dr Marinda Visser, Director: Strategic Projects and Partnerships in Agriculture, University of Pretoria Innovation Africa
- Karen Nel, owner Design Biologix
- Prof Driekie Fourie, Technical Product Lead Syngenta Seedcare
- Prof Sonja Venter. ARC
- Extraordinary Professor, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University
VIEW ALL WINNER PROFILES - 
