Shuttleworth voted 2007 achiever
2008-02-21 16:04
Birgit Ottermann
Cape Town - Award-winning wine cellar Simonsvlei has announced the winners of Simonsvlei Achiever of the Year Awards - a competition allowing South Africans to honour and acknowledge outstanding individual achievements.
Africa's first man in space Mark Shuttleworth was voted as the country's Simonsvlei Achiever for 2007.
Shuttleworth made history as the world's second self-funded space tourist, as the mastermind behind Ubuntu Linux (an operating system for desktops, laptops and servers used worldwide), and as whiz whose computer programming savvy earned him R3.5bn in December 1999.
Shuttleworth, who is based in London, was not available for comment.
Pieter-Dirk Uys (and his stage persona, Evita) was the top achiever in arts and culture.
Uys sent News24 a message from Berlin, Germany to express his appreciation of the award. "Thank you so much for the inspiration," he said. "I'm very happy to receive this award and to lead by example."
Pieter Dirk Uys was in Berlin to attend the Berlin Film Festival where a documentary about him Darling! The Pieter Dirk Uys Story won the second prize in the Panorama section.
Casting their votes for the media achiever of the year, Third Degree's combative presenter, Debora Patta was the winner in the journalist achiever category.
Taliep Pietersen
Deceased South African musician, Taliep Pietersen received a posthumous achiever award.
The first competition of its kind in the wine industry, Simonsvlei late last year invited South Africans to nominate and vote for individuals that either make them proud, make a positive contribution, who are influential and inspirational, and who also make the country a better place to live in.
Simonsvlei brand manager, Dawie Malherbe says the competition recognised individuals who develop themselves to the best of their ability as self-actualised individuals with altruistic motives.
"They are individuals who are well-liked in the public too," he told News24.
'Celebrate winning spirit'
"Our country has some of the most talented individuals in the world, and they should be recognised for their outstanding achievements.
"It is Simonsvlei's objective to celebrate the winning spirit and 'never-say-die' attitude of South African achievers on an annual basis," he said.
Other Simonsvlei achievers who won the respective categories were Dr Ian Player (conservation), Galeome Elias Finger (community service), Ernst van Dyk (sport), Bill Gallagher (entrepreneurship), Charles Back (agriculture), and David Grier (adventure).
Each category winner receives a prestigious hand-crafted Paragon Trophy whereas Shuttleworth receives a platinum card enabling him to R50 000 worth of free wine from the Simonsvlei cellar for the next five years.
- News24