Mpumalanga’s event of the year inspires even greater heights
MBOMBELA - Mpumalanga’s business and tourism kingpins, and game changers gathered at Emnotweni on Friday for the 22nd Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) Awards. The KLCBT Awards is the region’s ultimate showcase of business excellence and acknowledge and reward outstanding achievements and sound business practices. It recognises businesses and individuals who truly make a difference within the Kruger Lowveld community. By all accounts, the region is staging an admirable recovery in the post-Covid period, but a lot more needs to be done.
According to outgoing KLCBT president and the night’s master of ceremonies, Oupa Pilane, Mpumalanga receives the same number of visitors as Cape Town does, but visitors to the fairest Cape stay for longer periods and spend a lot more money than they do in our equally spectacular, but far more diverse province. Pilane welcomed his fellow members of the KLCBT executive committee: the chairperson of business, Ferdi Bijzet, vice chair of business, Sakkie van Rooyen, Johan Barnard, the KLCBT’s chief operating officer, Linda Grimbeek, fellow KLCBT board and management committee members and members of the media.
After an inspiring and incisive overview of where business and tourism in the region should be focused, he introduced the current KLCBT president, Sandra Jacobs, who reviewed the highlights of the organisation’s work during the past year.
Prominent business figures then announced the nominees and winners.
The spectacular evening ended with Grimbeek and her colleagues showing that "movers and shakers" does not only apply to business excellence. Taking to the dance floor, they gave a superbly choreographed and joyful ending to the awards ceremony.