Upington Landbou-Ekspo delivers another exhilarating experience

Visitors to the Upington Landbou-Ekspo were treated to a wide variety of stalls offering a huge assortment of products, fun-filled entertainment and competitions with cash prizes up for grabs.

Miss Upington Landbou-Ekspo, the Western Cape Arabian Horse Championships, the Western Mounted Games, the Merry-Go-Round and the live entertainment line-up attracted large crowds. Seventeen-year-old Maria Spangenberg from Keimoes was crowned Miss Upington Show Queen 2026 and also walked away with the Miss Photogenic title. Caitlin Spangenberg was named first princess, while Kydele Oosthuizen took the second princess title. Elisabeth van der Westhuizen was crowned Miss Personality, and Johanri van der Westhuizen received the Miss Role Model award. Q-Lee Swartz was crowned the first-ever Miss Upington Junior Show Queen. Jenel Lottering was named first princess, while Johanné Oosthuizen took the second princess title.

Happy vendours - The expo was initially off to a slow start on the opening day. Visitor numbers, however, increased significantly over the final two days. "I enjoy being at the Upington Landbou-Ekspo and among the people of Upington. They are very supportive, and I always make a profit," said Walied Alie, the owner of Royal Nuts, who received the Best Exhibitor Award at the 2026 Upington Landbou-Ekspo. "I matched my sales from last year on day two and exceeded that figure on the final day. It was a worthwhile exercise," added Marlize Hugo van Sittert, the owner of Bunny Box, who received the Best Overall Stall award. According to Henco Burger, chairman of the Upington Landbou-Ekspo organising committee, the event once again provided a much-appreciated cash injection to the town, surrounding areas and the region as a whole. "The exhibitors made money, accommodation establishments were fully booked, and petrol station owners also benefited," Burger said.

Fun-filled competitions – Ten contestants competed in the Melktert and Brandbek competitions. Marienke Buys presented the winning melktert, while Jana Kruger clinched second place and Maryna van Staden finished third. The judging panel consisted of Misha Loubsher, Lana van der Westhuizen and Lauren Bezuidenhout. Keithon Wessels withstood the heat the longest and won the Brandbek competition. Darius Steenkamp finished as runner-up, while JP Swanepoel took third place. Defending champion Ivan Liebenberg threw in the towel after experiencing a burning sensation in his hands moments before the final round commenced.

The Boomplaats/Koras Abattoir lamb slaughter competition, the Dorperland Dorper Club herd competition, and the Superos and Slagos competitions also formed part of the expo.

"There were about 180 animals, and they were fed for approximately five months. Farmers from 20 different farms who entered the competition automatically qualified for the National Carcass Competition," explained Ria Ludick. The competition, which became part of the expo about five years ago to bring new energy to the livestock section of the event, attracted around 300 entries.

On 27 May, Desert Beef hosted a farmers' day. In addition to a line-up of guest speakers, the Superos and Slagos entries were also slaughtered. "We had about 150 people at the abattoir. We received 180 entries, and the slaughtering took place over two days, with more than 150 people in attendance. For the past three years, Desert Beef has won the Slagos and Superos competitions," said Ludick.

"The Western Mounted Games was founded in 1914, and we began competing competitively in 2014. Every year, we host our national championships in Parys, Free State. Namibia has some of the best racers in the world. Endurance riding and horse racing are well established there, and we would like to introduce this sport to our neighbours," said Mias van Syl, a founding member of the South African Western Mounted Games.