Glenvista resident Mbali Dyamle has proven that a lack of experience is no barrier to success after earning a place among the top 10 finalists in the 2026 Championship Boerewors Competition.

The 25-year-old beauty therapy student decided to step outside her comfort zone and enter the contest after seeing an advertisement at a Checkers store.

“I wanted to see what I was capable of. Once I entered, I committed myself to learning,” she shared.

With no prior experience, Dyamle taught herself the fundamentals of making boerewors. She researched ingredients, flavours, proportions and preparation techniques, watched videos, asked questions, and sought advice from experienced makers.

A learning experience

“My first attempt was definitely a learning experience. I had no previous experience, so I had to teach myself as I went along,” she said.

Rather than being discouraged by mistakes, Dyamle treated each attempt as an opportunity to improve. She focused on quality ingredients, patience, and creating a balanced flavour where no seasoning overpowered the meat.

“You don’t always need to be an expert before you start; sometimes you have to start first and learn along the way,” she added.

As she progressed through each stage, Dyamle began to wonder whether she might reach the final round.

“When I realised I had made the top 10, it became real for me that this little risk I had taken had turned into something much bigger,” she highlighted.

Making the top 10

Selection among the country’s top 10 was an emotional moment for Dyamle and her family, who had followed her journey from the beginning.

“They know how much effort I put into learning everything, so being chosen as one of the 10 best in the country really felt like a victory for all of us,” she said.

National stage in Cape Town

Representing Glenvista on a national stage made the achievement even more meaningful for Dyamle.

“Glenvista is my community and being able to say that someone from here made it into the top 10 nationally is something I’m very proud of,” she emphasised.

The national finale in Cape Town brought the 10 finalists together for the final test, where they prepared their boerewors for an expert panel of South African chefs.

“The final was exciting because you could feel that everyone had worked hard to get there,” Dyamle shared. “We could compete, support one another and still celebrate each other’s achievements.”

Facing experienced chefs was understandably nerve-racking.

“I was nervous. There was definitely pressure because I knew that this was the national finale and that my boerewors was going to be judged by experts,” she said.

When the pressure mounted, she reminded herself of how far she had come. “At some point I told myself, ‘Mbali, you’ve made it this far. Just trust yourself and do what you came here to do.'”

Although she did not win the overall competition, she said she is immensely proud of reaching the national top 10. “I entered something I knew very little about, taught myself, faced the pressure of a national competition and made it into the top 10,” she added.

Encouraging youth to take chances

Dyamle hopes her experience will encourage other young people to pursue opportunities even when they feel inexperienced.

“Research, practise, ask questions, make mistakes and keep improving,” she said.

Her journey showed her that being a beginner does not determine where someone can go. “Your starting point doesn’t have to be your finishing point,” she added.

Now in its 34th year, the competition celebrates South Africa’s love of traditional boerewors, with recipes complying with strict guidelines.

The 2026 Championship Boerewors Competition was won by Bryanston resident Dean De Sousa, who won a Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB AT valued at more than R700 000 and received R20 000 in cash.

Runner-up Luhan Pretorius received R50 000, while third-place finalist Ashook Beharie received R30 000.De Sousa’s winning recipe became the 2026 Championship Boerewors and went on sale at Shoprite and Checkers stores nationwide.

For Dyamle, the biggest reward was the confidence she gained by taking a chance on herself.