AAD RISING CHEF REGIONAL ROUNDS COMPETITION
The college proudly hosted the AAD Rising Chef Regional Rounds on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at Russell Road Campus. The competition brought together four talented students from Russell Road and Dower campuses; all competing for the opportunity to advance to the national competition and represent the College.
Rooted in the One Campus One Garden Project, launched at Dower Campus in 2025, the Rising Chef competition celebrates creativity, culinary excellence and the value of fresh produce grown by our students.
Adding an exciting twist, contestants were given only one confirmed ingredient ahead of the competition: fresh spinach harvested from the Dower Campus Garden! The students had to showcase their culinary skills, creativity and innovation by transforming this humble ingredient into impressive dishes.
The four contestants — Ntomozuko Mbanga, Simamkele Matyutyu, Lisa Matu and Zandile Kula — rose to the challenge, presenting beautifully prepared dishes to the judging panel, Ms Carien Kok, Placement Officer; Ms Naomi Coetzee, Russell Road Campus Lecturer; and Ms Noluthando Kete, Dower Campus NATED HOD.
After careful evaluation, the results were announced:
WINNERS
Ntomozuko Mbanga – 80% and Lisa Matu – 79%
RUNNER-UP CONTESTANTS
Simamkele Matyutyu and Zandile Kula
Congratulations to our winners, who will advance to the next level of the competition! We are immensely proud of all four contestants for their dedication, creativity and courage. Each one of you is a winner, and your participation has made the College proud.
A sincere thank you goes to the organisers, Ms Bulelewa Mgijima, Ms Somikazi Boltina and Ms Tanja Kalp, and their respective teams for their hard work in making this event a success. We also extend our appreciation to the Campus Managers, Mr Velapi and Ms Kiewiets, for their continued support.
We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to SAPCO, AAD and AgriSETA for their valuable contribution and support towards the One Campus One Garden Project. Their involvement helps create meaningful opportunities for our students to develop practical skills, explore agricultural innovation and showcase their culinary talents.
The regional rounds have highlighted the incredible talent and potential of our students. We look forward to the national competition and wish our winning chefs every success as they prepare to represent Port Elizabeth TVET College!
PE TVET COLLEGE SHINES AT AGRICULTURE AWARDS!
The College was honoured to attend the prestigious South African Agriculture Awards, held on Friday, 16 October 2026, at the Sandton Convention Centre. The College was represented by the Principal, Mr Riba; Dower Campus Manager, Ms Kiewiets; lecturer, Ms Mgijima; and Dower Campus student, Simamkele Matyutyu, who was nominated for an award in his category. Although he did not secure the award, his nomination was a proud achievement and an important recognition of his efforts.
The College is proud to have received a Special Recognition Award in acknowledgement of its commitment to agricultural education and skills development, as well as its dedication to the One Campus, One Garden Project.
This recognition highlights the College’s ongoing efforts to promote practical agricultural skills, sustainable food production and student development.
Congratulations to Dower Campus and the entire College team on this achievement! We remain committed to growing skills, nurturing talent and cultivating a sustainable future.
CONGRATULATIONS, MS BULELWA MGIJIMA!
Port Elizabeth TVET College proudly congratulates Ms Bulelwa Mgijima, who was recognised as the Co-ordinator of the Week by Agri Development and AgriSETA for her outstanding contribution to the One Campus, One Garden Initiative at Dower Campus.
SECOND HARVEST, ANOTHER SUCCESS
We are proud to announce that the One Campus One Garden initiative at Dower Campus has achieved another milestone with the successful harvesting of its second crop.
ONE CAMPUS, ONE GARDEN HARVEST AT DOWER CAMPUS
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Dower Campus Management and the One Campus One Garden Team, under the leadership of Ms Bulelwa Mgijima, on the successful harvest of an outstanding crop at Dower Campus on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.
We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to AgriSETA and Agri Development for their invaluable support and investment in this initiative.
We look forward to the next phase of the One Campus One Garden initiative and to building on this remarkable achievement as we continue to strengthen sustainable agricultural practices and student development across the College.
ONE CAMPUS, ONE GARDEN PROJECT
ONE CAMPUS (TVET) ONE GARDEN LAUNCH 2025
Port Elizabeth TVET College is honoured to be one of 25 TVET Colleges nationwide selected to pilot the One Campus, One Garden initiative.
The One Campus, One Garden initiative was officially launched by SAPCO, in partnership with AAD and AgriSETA, at Dower Campus on Thursday, 30 October 2025. This initiative forms part of a broader programme, which will be followed by two additional projects, The Rising Chef Competition and the Legacy Creators Awards.
The objective of the launch was to promote agriculture as an appealing and modern field, to ensure that students understand how agriculture can strengthen food security, and that it can assist them with valuable skills that encourage entrepreneurship and build self-confidence.
The College extends its sincere appreciation to our partners, Propella, T3 Incubator, DIGITSA, and HB Crafts, for attending and supporting the launch.
Our gratitude also goes to SAPCO, AAD, and AgriSETA for their trust and continued support of Port Elizabeth TVET College and its students.
We look forward with great enthusiasm to the next phase of the One Campus, One Garden initiative.
