Dr Anneline Chetty, the acting deputy director-general of sectors with winner Banele Mthethwa.
Banele Mthethwa, a third-year Interior Design student at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), has bagged a win in the highly competitive Furniture Design Competition hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).
The event, held in collaboration with the South African Furniture Initiative (SAFI), Proudly South African, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and their industry partners, saw Mr Mthethwa clinch the prestigious first place award in the student category.
The announcement of Mr Mthethwa's win took place during the Proudly South African Buy Local Summit held at the Sandton Convention Centre recently. The annual competition, organised by the DTIC, serves as a platform to foster innovation and excellence within the South African furniture design and manufacturing sector, inviting both students and professionals to showcase their talent and creativity.
Hailing from Mtubatuba, Mr Mthethwa said he was passionate about interior design and architecture, and that he was interested in crafting both interior and exterior spaces.
Mr Mthethwa hopes that he will secure work in design solutions in response to a client brief, which often involves solving any problems that a client may have, through design.