Cape Chamber celebrates trailblazers driving the regional economic ecosystem

Winners ranged from a small non-profit social enterprise to large government departments, all recognised for initiatives making a positive impact on job creation and economic progress.

Among the big-name winners were the Shoprite Group’s Sixty60 e-commerce delivery service, which has created over 18,000 jobs, and the V&A Waterfront’s new R230m superyacht marina development.

Other notable winners included:

• Cape Town-based non-profit 'Taking Care of Business', which redirects surplus product from over 2,000 retail stores to help launch micro-enterprises. The programme has seen R564 million in profits generated by small businesses.
  
• The Bluebird Group SA, which provides door-to-door workforce transport.
  
• Research and Development company Fluorobiotech, which produces recombinant proteins, the most expensive ingredients in medicines and vaccine production.

A total of 13 awards were bestowed across six categories. The full winners’ list is available below.

Now in its second year, the Western Cape Economy Innovation Awards showcase proven solutions rather than mere ideas. To secure a coveted award, nominees were evaluated against strict, results-based criteria: the measurable scale of beneficial impact on the provincial economy, the practical novelty of the solution, and—crucially—the volume of local businesses and employees directly benefiting from the innovation.

The awards place a spotlight on "systemic innovation"—the collaborative redesign of entire processes, supply chains, and localised models that lift multiple stakeholders simultaneously.

The event was jointly hosted by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cape Higher Education Consortium.

Event speakers included Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, and Stephan Claassen from event headline sponsor First National Bank.

Master of ceremonies Michael Lawrence, executive director of the National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF) of South Africa, said the scope of this year’s innovation champions showed “an ecosystem at work.”

“Tonight, we have not simply celebrated individual achievements. We have seen excellence across an entire economic ecosystem,” Lawrence said. “No organisation builds an economy alone. Progress emerges when many actors work together with a shared purpose.”

Full list of 2026 Western Cape Innovation Award winners