GQEBERHA, 5 June 2026 – Some of South Africa's brightest future agricultural leaders took centre stage at the Agbiz Congress 2026 Student Case Competition, proudly sponsored by Netafim.

Facilitated by Prof Johan van Rooyen and Dr Melissa van der Merwe, the competition challenged students to develop practical solutions to a complex case study examining strategic decision-making in South Africa's wheat value chain.

The competition formed part of the Congress programme under the theme Embracing Collaboration and provided students with an opportunity to apply academic knowledge to real-world agricultural challenges while presenting their recommendations to a panel of industry judges.

After a highly competitive round of presentations and deliberations, the following awards were announced during the Agbiz Gala Dinner.

Best Team Presentation was awarded to Group 2 for effectively addressing the critical quality-price challenge facing the wheat industry.

Winning team members: 

• Katlego Ledwaba 

• Ona Ndelu 

• Mia Louw 

• Ayanda Mbotho

Runner-Up Best Presentation was awarded to Group 4.

Team members: 

• Mazwi Makhaye 

• Nwabisa Mrwebi 

• Nicola Koegelenberg 

• Maritz Grobler

The Best Team Player Award was presented to Ruben Fourie in recognition of his contribution, teamwork and leadership throughout the competition.

The judges also recognised the exceptional speaking abilities of Mia Louw, Ona Ndelu and Guillaume Oberholster. Following extensive deliberation, Guillaume Oberholster was awarded the Best Speaker Award.

Agbiz congratulates all participating students for their professionalism, creativity and dedication throughout the competition.

The organisation also extends its appreciation to Netafim for sponsoring the competition, as well as to Prof Johan van Rooyen and Dr Melissa van der Merwe for facilitating the programme and mentoring the participating students.

"The Student Case competition is a highlight of the Agbiz Congress as it introduces emerging talent in the industry to some of the pertinent challenges in our industry. This year's case study, which focussed on the wheat industry, was particularly challenging but the students rose to the occasion with aplomb. Well done to all of the students and we look forward to tracking your careers in the sector," said Theo Boshoff, CEO of Agbiz.

Photos from the competition and prize-giving ceremony are available here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bLvunveoPbxr6IH36ec3aMaoKbAQhEoN

ENDS