Bryanston Actuary Dean De Sousa Crowned South Africa’s 2026 Boerewors Champion
Bryanston Actuary Dean De Sousa Crowned South Africa’s 2026 Boerewors Champion. A 33-year-old investment actuary and portfolio manager from Bryanston in Gauteng has been named South Africa’s top boerewors maker after winning the 34th annual Championship Boerewors competition.
Dean De Sousa claimed the title at the Championship Boerewors finale on Saturday, 15 August, impressing the expert judging panel with a recipe that balanced flavour and texture while staying true to traditional boerewors.
De Sousa said winning the competition was an honour and that the achievement was particularly meaningful because of his family’s connection to his passion for making boerewors.
“My dad has been a huge inspiration throughout my journey and I’m happy to make him and the rest of my family proud with this achievement,” De Sousa said.
A passion inspired by family
De Sousa’s interest in the competition dates back to childhood memories of attending Championship Boerewors events with his father.
He was also encouraged by his father to cook and experiment with flavours, helping develop his long-standing interest in making boerewors.
His father, Tony de Sousa, has his own connection to the meat industry. He became one of the first South Africans to qualify as a Master Butcher in 2020 after receiving the accreditation from Britain’s Institute of Meat.
Tony de Sousa joined the Shoprite Group in 1998 and currently serves as a Spice and Meat Operations Manager at the retailer’s Home Office in Brackenfell.
Winning recipe to reach supermarket shelves
As the 2026 champion, Dean De Sousa’s recipe will become the new Championship Boerewors and will be sold at Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets nationwide from Friday, 4 September.
The competition win also came with a Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB AT valued at more than R700,000, as well as R20,000 in cash.
Luhan Pretorius from Bloemfontein in the Free State finished in second place and received R50,000.
Ashook Beharie from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal took third place and received R30,000.
Judges search for South Africa’s flavour
Carmen Niehaus, chef, cookbook author and Championship Boerewors Competition judge, said choosing the winning recipe was challenging because each finalist brought different qualities to the competition.
She said the judging process considered more than individual recipes, with the panel looking for a flavour that represented South Africa.
The 2026 competition has therefore resulted in a new Championship Boerewors recipe that will move from the competition finale to Shoprite and Checkers stores across the country.
For De Sousa, the victory combines a personal passion developed through family influence with the opportunity to have his winning recipe produced and made available to consumers nationwide.
