Eswatini Sugar has congratulated Nontobeko Pearl Mabuza on reaching the final top three in the race for Executive Director of the International Sugar Organization (ISO).
Mabuza has been part of a rigorous selection process involving five shortlisted candidates since February this year.
She successfully advanced to the final stage, joining candidates from Mauritius and Brazil among the top three contenders. 
At the ISO Special Council Meeting held in London this Tuesday, Mabuza did not secure the required two-thirds majority of votes from the ISO’s 84 member countries.
Eswatini Sugar CEO Banele Nyamane said the organisation looked forward to working closely with the incoming ISO Executive Director to strengthen cooperation and promote a sustainable and prosperous future for the global sugar sector.
The election process involving the two remaining candidates was still underway at the time of compiling this statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Nyamane said even though Eswatini’s candidate did not attain the required votes, Eswatini Sugar was immensely proud of her for making it to the top three and final stage of such a competitive race.
Nyamane attended the special meeting alongside Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula, who represented Commerce, Industry and Trade Minister Manqoba Khumalo.
Also in attendance was Eswatini High Commissioner to the UK, Thandazile Mbuyisa.
Mabuza, an Executive Management Committee member of Eswatini Sugar, is an economist with more than 20 years of experience in trade policy, development finance, market access advocacy and multilateral engagement.
Her experience includes 10 years shaping strategy and stakeholder engagement in the Eswatini sugar industry, as well as another 10 years with the European Commission.
She made a good name for herself and Eswatini in the highly competitive selection process that has been running full steam from February this year.
“Mabuza presented a compelling vision for a responsive and member-focused ISO and generated strong engagement from governments and industry stakeholders from across all regions,” said Nyamane.
The Eswatini Sugar CEO further noted that the campaign provided an important opportunity to demonstrate Eswatini’s expertise, commitment to international cooperation and active contribution to the global sugar sector.
“It reinforced the country’s standing as a respected and constructive participant within the sector.
It also allowed our candidate and the local industry to build relationships that would continue to benefit the industry in the long term,” he said.
Eswatini Sugar wishes to express its sincere gratitude to His Majesty King Mswati III, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, diplomatic missions, industry partners and the many member countries that supported and engaged with the candidature during the election process.
Throughout the campaign, Eswatini maintained that leadership should be assessed on merit, experience, vision and the ability to serve the entire membership.
We remain convinced that Mabuza’s candidature reflected these values and contributed positively to the debate on the future direction of the organization.
