Niekie Horn’s lovingly crafted boerewors recipe has earned her a place among the ten top finalists in this year’s Shoprite and Checkers Championship Boerewors Competition – a first for this Northern Cape local from De Aar.
A mother of three and full-time administrator at a safe house in De Aar, Horn has just spiced her way into the national spotlight.
“For me, it’s more than just sausage,” says Horn. “Boerewors is the perfect blend of different flavours, with versatility and tradition in every bite.”
She saw the Championship Boerewors Competition’s call to entries and realised this might just be the answer to getting a car for her 22-year-old daughter who is finishing university and moving on to the next chapter of her life, later this year.
“She will be thrilled to have a car to pursue her dreams further,” says Horn. “I took the chance and opportunity knowing I have something different to give and might be able to win.”
What began as a hopeful entry, turned into something much bigger when her recipe stood out from the rest. “This is the first time I’ve ever made boerewors,” she says.
Her version of boerewors is juicy, meaty, and full of flavour, she says. But getting the perfect balance of meat and spice was not easy. It took two days in the kitchen, trying various techniques and blends, to find the one that was just right. That was time well spent because Niekie landed a combination that impressed the judges.
When it comes to enjoying boerewors, she keeps it classic: pap is her go-to side.
Final cook-off on 23 August
The final cook-off will take place in Cape Town on Saturday, 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 Friday, 5 September.
The other nine finalists, in alphabetical order, are:
- Asheel Beharie, an entrepreneur from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal;
- Ayanda Dyanse, a meat market manager at the Shoprite Humansdorp, Eastern Cape;
- Emmerencia Pretorius from Swellendam in the Western Cape, a rescue technician;
- Keani van Drimmelen, working in human resources and finance, hailing from Benoni, Gauteng;
- Roberto Agrela, 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, a barista in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal;
- Tyron Adams, a chef from Wellington in the Western Cape; and
- Xavier Blaauw, 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
