Eswatini’s homegrown talent gets a night of its own

The countdown is officially on.

by Mcebo Maggz (intern)  

The Made in Eswatini Consumer Choice Awards 2026 will take place on  September 17, at Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane, bringing together local brands, creatives, businesses, consumers and industry players for an evening dedicated to celebrating what Eswatini has to offer.

With public voting closing on September 16, nominees are now in the final stretch, with just days left for consumers to throw their support behind the brands they believe deserve to take home an award.

This year’s awards are being held under the theme 'Imagine the Impact', putting the spotlight not only on the nominees themselves, but also on the role consumers play in shaping the local economy through the choices they make every day.

For Melusi Zox Dlamini, Executive Chairman of A Peculiar People, the team behind the Made in Eswatini ecosystem, the awards are about more than simply finding the most popular name in each category.

“These awards were never intended to simply be a popularity contest. They are an opportunity for consumers to say which local brands they believe deserve to be seen, supported and celebrated,” says Dlamini.

This year's competition has introduced a digital voting system powered by MTN MoMo, with each vote costing E1. Consumers can vote for one or several nominees and allocate multiple votes to the brands they want to support.

The official platform reflects confirmed votes, meaning the race can continue to shift as the deadline approaches. According to Dlamini, different nominees have been taking different approaches to getting their supporters behind them.

“Some brands have strong consumer loyalty, some are mobilising their communities, while others are benefiting from the strength of their products and the stories behind their businesses,” he said. 

For those following the competition, the live results provide a glimpse into how the various categories are developing, although the final positions will only be confirmed once voting officially closes.

While the anticipation around who will win is naturally part of the excitement, the organisers see the awards as part of a much bigger conversation about buying local. Dlamini describes every consumer purchase as an opportunity to contribute to the economy.

“Every buying decision is economic activism. When we deliberately choose a product, service, experience or design created here in Eswatini, we are helping create demand.

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Demand creates markets, markets create businesses, and businesses create opportunities and jobs,” he said. 

That idea sits at the heart of the broader Made in Eswatini® movement, which aims to increase visibility, consumer trust and market access for businesses creating, producing, transforming or delivering from Eswatini.

The movement's definition of Made in Eswatini was launched by HRH Princess Sakhizwe on July 10, 2026 and focuses on products, services, experiences and designs that are genuinely created, produced, transformed or delivered from Eswatini by responsible enterprises.

Voting remains open until September 16,  2026, giving consumers a final opportunity to support the local brands, businesses, experiences, services and designs they believe deserve recognition.

The winners will be revealed on  September 17,  2026. For nominees, the countdown is on. For consumers, there are still votes to cast. And for Eswatini's local brands, the evening will be another opportunity to see what can happen when consumers choose to put their money behind homegrown ideas.

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