South Africa’s meals and water challenges require greater than massive concepts. They require entrepreneurs who can construct sensible options, check them on the bottom, and switch them into fashions that communities can use.
For Dr Phindile Cebekhulu-Msomi, group chief government of Hazile Group, this work sits on the centre of her management. Her journey started in Orlando West, Soweto, the place resilience and neighborhood formed her youth. Though she as soon as wished to grow to be a physician, her path led her into enterprise management, agribusiness and social impression. Immediately, she holds a Doctorate in Enterprise Administration and leads ventures throughout agribusiness, consulting and social improvement.
By way of Hazile Group, Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi is targeted on water-efficient farming, sustainable enterprise methods and sensible innovation. Her work contains hydroponics, agroprocessed merchandise, water administration, renewable vitality initiatives and neighborhood improvement.
Her enterprise has additionally gained nationwide recognition. In 2025, she was named a Veuve Clicquot Daring Future Award winner, an achievement that she says accelerated each the visibility and credibility of Hazile Group.
“Successful the Veuve Clicquot Daring Future Award in 2025 accelerated each the visibility and credibility of Hazile Group,” she says. “Since then, we’ve strengthened our positioning in climate-smart agriculture and water innovation, expanded our processed and dried product strains, and are deepening partnerships inside sustainability and meals methods networks.”
Constructing From Resilience
Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi makes use of her work to show entrepreneurship, management and confidence-building, particularly by way of initiatives akin to Basadi Bakopane NPO.
For her, enterprise is just not solely about what the corporate achieves, however about what number of alternatives it creates for others.
Hazile Group’s work displays this. The enterprise has expanded its hydroponics farm from one to 3 tunnels, revived farming operations after COVID-related losses, moved into agroprocessed merchandise, and accomplished the Eco-Farm Pod prototype and trademark registration. It additionally trains girls and younger individuals in sustainable farming practices.
Local weather-Sensible Agriculture With Sensible Roots
Local weather-smart agriculture can usually sound technical, however Hazile Group’s work brings it nearer to on a regular basis financial realities. The corporate focuses on farming and manufacturing methods that use assets extra responsibly whereas creating room for native participation.
At a sensible stage, this contains hydroponics, water cleansing and reuse, greywater and rainwater harvesting methods, and renewable vitality options.
These are essential areas for South African SMEs as a result of agriculture, meals processing and water entry are deeply related. A small farming enterprise can not develop sustainably whether it is uncovered to excessive water prices, unreliable provide or outdated manufacturing strategies. Hazile Group’s mannequin speaks to this hole by linking innovation with coaching and enterprise improvement.
Since receiving the Daring Future recognition, Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi says the corporate has seen elevated curiosity from companions, notably inside women-led and impact-driven ecosystems.
“We’ve additionally seen a notable enhance in partnership enquiries and collaborative alternatives, notably inside women-led and impact-driven ecosystems,” she says. “The award didn’t simply open doorways; it validated the seriousness of our work in inexperienced innovation.”
From Visibility to Accountability
Awards can convey consideration, however for Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi, the popularity carried a deeper that means. She says one in all her largest “pinch me” moments got here when individuals started recognising her earlier than she launched herself.
However the second that stayed along with her essentially the most was extra private.
“The actual ‘pinch me’ second was when a younger lady approached me and mentioned, ‘If you are able to do it, perhaps I can too.’ That’s when it turned larger than enterprise. It turned about illustration,” she says. “The award reworked visibility into duty, and that has been deeply humbling.”
Scaling With out Dropping Function
For a lot of founders, development can create strain to maneuver quicker than the enterprise can handle. Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi’s strategy is extra deliberate. She says the award sharpened her imaginative and prescient round scale, governance and measurable impression.
“The popularity clarified my duty to assume larger, operationally and systemically,” she says. “Publish-award, my imaginative and prescient has sharpened round scalability and coverage alignment. It’s now not nearly operating a profitable enterprise; it’s about constructing replicable fashions that may affect broader meals and water safety frameworks in South Africa.”
This can be a vital level for SMEs. Progress is just not solely about promoting extra merchandise or coming into extra markets. In sectors akin to agriculture, water and sustainability, accountable development additionally means constructing methods that may be repeated, measured and trusted.
The Worth of the Daring Community
Past the award itself, Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi credit the Daring community with serving to her assume extra deeply about accountable scale.
“The Daring programme presents one thing extremely useful: proximity to excellence,” she says. “Being surrounded by high-calibre girls founders challenges you to raise your individual requirements.”
She describes the community as an area for strategic perception, peer mentorship and conversations about scaling with out compromising function.
“Accountable development is intentional development, and the community reinforces that sustainability, governance and innovation should transfer collectively. It’s a sisterhood of accountability and ambition,” she says.
For a founder working throughout agriculture, water, innovation and social improvement, that form of community issues. It creates house to check concepts, refine technique and construct relationships that may help long-term development.
A Legacy of Ladies-Led Innovation
Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi can also be a part of a five-year milestone for the Veuve Clicquot Daring programme in South Africa. For her, that milestone represents greater than a celebration.
“It means legacy. 5 years represents consistency, perception and funding in girls’s management. To be counted amongst that legacy is an honour,” she says. “This milestone indicators that daring girls usually are not exceptions; we’re a motion. And actions change industries, economies and narratives.”
Her work by way of Hazile Group displays this broader motion. It combines enterprise technique with neighborhood improvement, expertise with farming, and management with mentorship. It additionally challenges the concept impression companies should stay small or casual.
As an alternative, Hazile Group exhibits that social impression could be structured, measured and scaled.
Recommendation For Future Founders
For entrepreneurs nonetheless ready for the proper second to begin, Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi’s message is direct.
“Enter and do it now. Don’t wait till your corporation feels ‘excellent’ or absolutely shaped. Boldness is just not about having every thing discovered; it’s about having the braveness to start,” she says.
She believes platforms such because the Daring programme do greater than recognise companies. They affirm that the founder’s imaginative and prescient issues.
“If you’re constructing one thing that solves actual issues and challenges the established order, that is your house. Step ahead boldly. South Africa wants you,” she says.
Dr Cebekhulu-Msomi’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship in South Africa is just not solely about survival. It can be about designing sensible methods for meals safety, water resilience and inclusive development. By way of Hazile Group, she is proving that inexperienced innovation could be each commercially related and deeply human.
