For 38-year-old Ayanda Dyanse, making boerewors isn’t just a hobby; it’s a craft honed over nearly two decades in the butchery business, and this year, he has his sights set on the grand prize in the Shoprite and Checkers Championship Boerewors Competition.
Based in Humansdorp, Dyanse is a Meat Market Manager at Shoprite Humansdorp and knows his way around quality cuts.
“I first heard about the Championship Boerewors Competition back in 2006 when I started at Shoprite,” said Dyanse.
“Since then, I’ve entered a few times and I’ve seen my recipe improve year after year.”
Ten years ago, he made it into the Top 3, and even though he did not win, he never gave up, entering multiple times.
This year is no different, and he is going for gold.
“My family and colleagues have always supported me because they know I can do it,” said Dyanse.
“I won’t share the recipe,” he laughs.
“However, I will say this: always use good quality meat. That’s non-negotiable.”
Having started out as a sausage maker at Shoprite, Dyanse has spent more than a decade perfecting his technique.
“It’s taken a lot of time and money to get my boerewors just right, but this recipe was prepared years ago, and I believe it’s a winner,” said Dyanse.
His favourite way to enjoy boerewors? “Pap and wors, nothing beats that.”
The final cook-off will take place in Cape Town on 23 August.
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.
The new 2025 Championship Boerewors will be available in Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets nationwide from 5 September.
The other nine finalists, in alphabetical order, are:
• Asheel Beharie is an entrepreneur from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Emmerencia Pretorius from Swellendam in the Western Cape, is a rescue technician.
• Keani van Drimmelen works in human resources and finance and hails from Benoni, Gauteng.
• 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 include:
• First prize – A Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB AT and R20,000 cash
• Second prize – R50,000 cash
• Third prize – R30,000 cash
