Benoni’s Keani van Drimmelen makes Top 10 in boerewors competition
She has also just completed her Honours degree in Psychology.
At just 23 years old, Benoni’s Keani van Drimmelen is celebrating more than one big milestone this August.
Not only has she just completed her Honours degree in Psychology, but she’s also landed a spot among the Top 10 finalists in the 2025 Shoprite and Checkers Championship Boerewors Competition.
Keani never expected her first attempt at entering the country’s most beloved boerewors contest to go this well.
“I came across an email about the Shoprite and Checkers Championship Boerewors Competition and thought it looked interesting. I grew up watching my dad work with meat.
“He often bought carcasses to make wors, biltong, and droëwors. That inspired me to give it a try,” she says.
Her boerewors recipe boasts a well-balanced, traditional flavour profile with a subtle modern twist.
Keani believes boerewors is about more than just taste, it’s a symbol of heritage.
“Boerewors is a staple in South African homes. It’s more than food; it’s tradition, culture and a way of bringing people together.
“Whether it’s at a braai, a family gathering, or a celebration, boerewors is always part of the memory and part of our national identity.”
The final cook-off will take place in Cape Town on August 23.
A judging panel of butchery experts and professional chefs from the South African Chefs Association (SACA) will evaluate each finalist’s raw and cooked boerewors to determine a winner.
ALSO READ: What’s for dinner? Curried samp with boerewors
The new 2025 Championship Boerewors will be available in Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets nationwide from September 5.
The other 9 finalists are:
• Asheel Beharie is an entrepreneur from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Ayanda Dyanse is a Meat Market manager at the Shoprite Humansdorp, Eastern Cape
• Emmerencia Pretorius from Swellendam in the Western Cape is a rescue technician.
• Niekie Horn is an administrator at a safe house in De Aar, Northern Cape.
• Roberto Agrela is a car salesman from Paarl in the Western Cape.
• Roland Blaauw, from Wellington in the Western Cape, works for the Shoprite Group as an application support specialist.
• Thandanani Buthelezi is a barista in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Tyron Adams is a chef from Wellington in the Western Cape.
• Xavier Blaauw is a matric learner and lives in Wellington, Western Cape.
This year’s prizes:
• 1st Prize: Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB AT and R20 000 cash
• 2nd Prize: R50 000 cash
• 3rd Prize: R30 000 cash
ALSO READ: What’s for dinner? Boerewors burgers with mango atchar
