News

Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has once again shone a spotlight on the people and places that make it Africa’s most visited retail destination. The annual Neighbourhood Awards announced its 2025 winners at a ceremony officiated by radio personality Carl Wastie, which was held on 1 October 2025 at the inspiring Avenue events space adjacent the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront.

The awards span sustainability, empowerment, visual merchandising and service excellence and aim to showcase the retailers, restaurants and small businesses that are raising the bar at one of the world’s most dynamic waterfront neighbourhoods.

The 2025 edition of the awards was hotly contested due to a record number of entries - there were 155 entries versus 66 last year - speaking to the desirability and validity of the programme. The awards were judged by a prestigious panel in a rigorous process administered independently on behalf of the V&A Waterfront by Truth Loyalty.

The 2025 winners of the entered categories are:

• SUSTAINABILITY AWARD (OUR BETTER NATURE) - Sealand Gear
• SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD - Out of Africa
• EMPOWERMENT AWARD - Zizamele Ceramics
• BEST MARKETING AND DIGITAL INNOVATION AWARD - HintHunt Africa
• BEST ACTIVATION - Kapten & Son
• BEST NEW OR REVAMPED STORE - Wedgewood
• BEST VISUAL MERCHANDISING - Wedgewood
• STORE MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Coach (Shehaam Bakardien)
• RETAIL SERVICE STAR OF THE YEAR - Freedom of Movement (Richard Mpahla)
• GLOBAL AMBASSADOR AWARD - Seven Colours Eatery
• GOOD NEIGHBOUR AWARD - The Waterfront Duck Co.

Setting the awards programme apart even further, the winners of the various categories received specially commissioned bespoke trophies made by leading local creatives such as Clementina Ceramics, Zizamele Ceramics, Studio Ananta, and Modern Gesture.

For Seven Colours Eatery, this recognition is momentous: ‘Being an entrepreneur is such a lonely journey, and being behind the scenes, you never know the impact you can have. Awards like this remind me that I do have impact, and they remind me to continue to follow my dreams,‘ says owner/founder Nolukhanyo Dube-Cele. Located at Battery Park, the restaurant is known for championing South African heritage flavours.

In addition to the above awards, there were several other accolades that formed part of the proceedings. V&A Waterfront CEO David Green named renowned Belgian restaurant Den Anker as the recipient of the annual CEO AWARD, which is presented to a tenant whose contributions go beyond business, and whose  leadership strengthens the community.

Green says: ‘For over three decades, Den Anker has been more than a restaurant. They have been a steadfast collaborator, a neighbour who shows up not only for their own team, but for the wider V&A community. During the most challenging days of the pandemic, they led with courage - coordinating the Waterfront tenants’ collective response when it mattered most. Den Anker sustained that commitment long after the crisis passed, continuing their feeding scheme and now surpassing a remarkable 250 000 meals served. They are also tireless supporters of their fellow tenants - often doing the heavy lifting without seeking the spotlight and consistently showing up in our campaigns, forums and initiatives.’

For Den Anker: ’It is really exciting for our team to be acknowledged in this way, and we’re very proud to have been doing business at the V&A for 30 years!’ says MD Rejeanne Vlietman.

For head chef Doekle Vlietman, it’s all about commitments: ‘Commitments to our staff, our suppliers, our community, and to our lasting engagement with the Waterfront.’

‘Our “secret sauce” is love and passion for what we do!’ adds Den Anker’s operations manager Tarin Schroeder.

There were three Service Excellence Awards that were judged via a mystery shopper/diner process.

These winners were:

• Retail Service Excellence Award - Browns Jewellers
• Small Business Service Excellence Award - CHILL, Cape Town
• Food Service Excellence Award - COOKED

Special recognition certificates were given to seven tenants who celebrated their 30-year tenancy milestone at the V&A Waterfront this year. Marcel’s Gourmet Frozen Yoghurt, Markham, Murdocks, Out of Africa, Pick n Pay, Steers, and Totalsports were all acknowledged for their longstanding tenure.

The V&A Waterfront’s retail team singled out The Knysna Oyster Company for the annual Retail Excellence Award and Den Anker for the Most Engaged Tenant Award.

• Visitors to the V&A also had their say and a purely public voting process determined the outcome of three People’s Choice Awards. These winners were:
• Best Retail Store - Woolworths
• Best Small Business - HintHunt Africa
• Best Eatery - Spur

According to Dino Paulo, co-owner of HintHunt Africa: ‘Being part of the V&A precinct, which is itself world-class, and being one of the tenants that stands out in a world-class environment, is a reflection on our team members, who care so deeply about delivering exceptional experiences!’

Says V&A Waterfront Retail Executive Alex Kabalin: ‘Our annual Neighbourhood Awards are not just about aesthetics or fit-outs. They’re about recognising retailers who are doing things differently in order to achieve success. The V&A Waterfront outperforms other retail destinations within the context of Cape Town and the role of our tenants in this is undeniable - they not only keep abreast of change but drive positive shifts in the market, including increased emphasis on innovation and sustainability. As a result, our tenants display remarkable buoyancy in the fluctuating retail market and hold a leadership position.’

The V&A Waterfront’s dynamic tenant mix constitutes leading local and international brands, as well as emerging, small and medium-sized businesses. Their excellence is duly acknowledged through the Neighbourhood Awards programme, which not only creates resilience within the property itself, but drives the national conversation around how to bolster the economy.

For more information on the awards, visit https://awards.waterfront.co.za/
For more information on the V&A Waterfront visit: www.waterfront.co.za