A 31-year-old entrepreneur from Richards Bay is carving out a niche in South Africa’s growing agricultural technology sector through a drone company focused on sustainable farming, forestry and environmental conservation — a business she launched after seeing a WhatsApp advertisement for a training course.
Bongiwe Nyawo founded Nyawo Zendalo Air in May 2024 after qualifying as a drone pilot through the Drone Divas program, run by Africa Beyond 4IR and sponsored by the Goethe-Institut. The program introduces women to drone technology and provides practical field experience. Nyawo was selected as one of the program’s top participants and received a starter drone package upon completion.
“I saw an opportunity to start a business that was more aligned with sustainability and food security,” she said.
The company focuses on drone services for the agricultural, forestry and environmental conservation sectors, while also offering security monitoring, photography and videography services to generate revenue as the business grows.
Nyawo’s work has attracted recognition and financial support. She received funding from the KwaZulu-Natal Premier’s Office Youth Fund, which helped her acquire an additional drone and office equipment, and was named the winner of the Dragons’ Den 2025 Most Innovative Small Business Award, hosted by Absa and the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
She was also among the top 20 candidates in the Agri-Tech and Aqua-Tech Acceleration Programme led by the United Nations Development Programme, which aims to strengthen innovation in sustainable agriculture.
Through that program, Nyawo is developing a project she says could advance environmentally responsible farming. “I am working on building my own drone that will be sustainable, using bio-fertiliser and pesticides in order to contribute to the sustainability of our environment and food security,” she said, adding that the project is designed to align with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals on sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction.
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