Story by Farai Gwaze
THE List Awards celebrated Southern Africa’s most outstanding innovators and changemakers Friday night, recognising individuals across 13 categories for their exceptional contributions to community development, technology, humanitarian work, and the arts.
The glittering ceremony, held in Harare, honoured personalities whose work has made a lasting impact across the region, from technological breakthroughs to youth empowerment and social transformation.
Among those recognised was John Arufandika, who received the Emerging Technologies Award for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence.
“The award is in recognition of the large language model that we are building for Southern Africa in 14 languages, which include Bemba in Zambia, Shona in Zimbabwe, Nyanja in Malawi, Sena in Mozambique, Ndebele in Zimbabwe, as well as Tswana in Botswana. This award is a recognition of every African inventor in the field of data science and artificial intelligence,” Arufandika said.
“During Covid-19, we fed 75 children in partnership with a church group in the UK. I was an implementing player; they contributed funds, and I bought the food. I found 10 women in town to help me cook. I do not have money, but I managed to feed 75 children from Entumbane, Emakhandeni, Enjube, and Magwege,” Humanitarian Impact Award winner, Thina Mpofu noted.
“I am trying to take kids off the streets and train them in martial arts so that they stay away from drugs and substance abuse. Recently, I managed to take the kids to the UK, where we won 43 medals with 8 kids. They say it is better to build children than to repair broken men, so by taking youth off the streets, it means that we are building their future,” Sports Impact Award winner, Wilfred Mashaya said.
“This award is important to me because it shows that we are being seen and heard. Special thanks to ZBC TV for offering us the platform as artists. For me, my journey started on ZBC. I have been on several drama series, and now I’m on Kuchina: The Genesis. Let’s support ZBC as it supports our artists and helps the industry grow,” Entertainment Impact Award winner, David Kanduna added.
Identities Media CEO, Advocate Nyaradzo Mashayamombe, expressed excitement over the regional participation and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to celebrating unsung heroes across Southern Africa.
“It has been incredible to see people come from Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. We are looking forward to 2026, rewarding unsung heroes and the incredible work of men and women who are doing amazing work in our communities,” she noted.
The List Awards recognised innovation, community development, and social transformation, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and Vision 2030’s focus on human capital development.
