Siblings Natasha and Kurt Diest of Cape Town, South Africa, have won the award for excellence in fisheries at the inaugural Agristars Recognition Awards hosted by the country’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF) on June 30.
The two, who run Impala Fishing, won ZAR 150,000 in total at the awards ceremony.
We were stunned at winning the awards but also happy and honored that these opportunities are granted to us. We are the third generation working in this company and are thankful for the guidance, support, and mentorship that we have received from our grandparents and parents,” Natasha Diest said.
Although the competition was tight, I believe that Natasha and Kurt truly deserve their awards and recognition for their achievements. They are a third generation fishing family who have grown Impala Fishing into a fully-fledged, black empowered company that directly employs forty staff and has created a further five permanent employment positions in disadvantaged areas through their retail outlets,” Oceana CEO Francois Kuttel said.
The awards were started by DAFF’s deputy minster general, Bheki Cele, as part of the department’s strategy to develop young producers and entrepreneurs and to encourage active participation of youth in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.