Southern African Lifting Awards Grow as Industry Celebrates Innovation

Entries rose from 29 to 45 at the second edition, held in Boksburg, with awards spanning wind farms, a gold mine crane and two lifetime careers

The second Southern African Lifting Awards came back noticeably bigger. Entries reached 45 this year, up from 29 in 2025, and the winners were announced on 30 October at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg. Hosted by Lifting Africa, the programme covers engineering, innovation, safety, skills development, environmental responsibility and leadership.

The list says a lot about where the region’s lifting industry sees its priorities: young technicians, mining and renewable energy projects, and the engineers who built local crane manufacturing.

Johnson Crane Hire, from the apprentice to the wind farm

The first award of the night went to the start of the pipeline. Violet Mamabolo of Johnson Crane Hire was named Apprentice Technician of the Year, a recognition the organisers also framed as a signal of the opportunities open to women in technical roles, built on practical experience, mentorship and continued learning.

Her employer took the top project prize as well. Johnson Crane Hire won Project of the Year for its work on the Impofu Wind Project, where planning, coordination and lifting expertise had to keep equipment, crews and schedules aligned on a major renewable energy build.

On the product side, Liebherr received the Manufacturer Product Innovation award for the LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane, cited for expanding lifting capability and giving contractors more flexibility on complex jobs.

A gold mine crane and a citrus project

Condra took Excellence in Engineering for its crane project at the Twin Hills Gold Mine, an entry that showed what it takes to design lifting equipment around a demanding industrial application and underlined the role of Southern African manufacturers in mining and infrastructure.

The Environment Award went to Orizen Group for its Marble Hall Citrus Project, recognising how environmental responsibility can be built into equipment selection and operational planning. Kwick Access Rentals received the Safety and Training award for Smart Start Monday, an initiative that keeps safety and learning part of the normal working week.

Two lifetimes, one shared award

The people awards closed the evening. Piet Otto was honoured for Excellence in People Development, for passing on the knowledge and judgement that a safety-critical trade depends on. Dr Rony Abraham was named Industry Leader.

The Lifetime Achievement and Service to the Lifting Industry recognition was shared this year. John Bowman of Bowman Africa was honoured for a long career of service to the sector, and Joseph “Sepp” Kleiner of Condra Cranes for his contribution to crane engineering and manufacturing, a legacy closely tied to establishing Southern African crane engineering as a respected part of the wider industry.

Platinum sponsors YOKE Industrial Corp. and RiConnect supported the 2026 edition, alongside category and event sponsors including Alpha Load Testing Services, Electra Mining Africa, Lifting Placements, Johnson Crane Hire, Phakamisa Safety Consultants and Sarens Siba. With entries up by more than half in a year, the organisers now have a programme that the region’s lifting companies are clearly prepared to compete in.

Southern African Lifting Awards Grow as Industry Celebrates Innovation published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.