Vision

To be the Leading Facilitator to Economically and Socially Empower Communities.

Mission
To respond to the Development needs of our greater community by facilitating Networks, Partnerships and Joint Ventures. To build the Capacity of the Community to Sustain themselves Economically and to improve the quality of their lives.

Values: Commitment to Serve Our Communities. Accountability to Stakeholders and for My Actions. Honesty and Intergrity. Build Mutually beneficial Relationships. Transparency. Respect People, Diversity, Funds, and Communities. Teamwork. Efficiency and Effectiveness.

History of the Zululand Chamber Business Foundation

Located in the industrial town of Richards Bay, the Zululand Chamber of Business Foundation (ZCBF) has won national and international acclaim for its philanthropic goodwill in benefiting the people of Zululand. Registered as a Section 21 Company (not for gain motive), its main objective is to create a synergistic partnership between business and communities in the area of community development.

In the late 1980’s political violence threatened Zululand’s stability and the business community initiated the “Lower Umfolozi Peace Accord”. The first of its kind in South Africa, (the National Peace Accord was later modelled on this initiative), it drew together political, business and community leaders.

When extensive floods hit the same area in 1985 and 1987 the networks established by the Peace Accord were used to rebuild the communities. This was achieved through the “Zululand Rural Foundation” (ZRF), which received assistance from the local business community. This crisis drew attention to the region’s underlying problems of rural poverty and a lack of basic resources. The ZRF resolved to focus on the broader socio-economic problems of the region, and merged with the Lower Umfolozi Peace Accord and the Zululand Social Investment Network. From this merger the ZCBF was born.

Richards Bay is on the east coast of South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 190km north of Durban.

John Ross Parkway bridge collapses due to floods in 1985

Ethembeni Care Centre

Hydroponics Project at the ZCBF

(Past Project)

Developmental Roles

The ZCBF delivers its developmental role in three ways:

1.  By identifying projects and sourcing funding for that specific

       project.

2.  By project managing projects on behalf of other similar

       organisations.

3.  By sourcing funding for NGO’s and developmental

       organisations.

Strengths of the ZCBF 

The ZCBF’s strategic capabilities relate to the activities of:

§      Project management of developmental and capacity building projects, in response to community needs. This is achieved by bringing together communities, donors, and organisations in a specific project. In other words, the ZCBF facilitates partnerships between businesses, NGO’s, educational bodies, and governmental agencies.

§      Administration and governance. The ZCBF provides advice and consultancy services and a strong lobbying role with business and government as well as financial administration. It’s strength lies in its facilitation role. The ZCBF is the only organisation in the Zululand region that provides this service.

§     Management of the ZCBF Community Park. The ZCBF generates an income from a property called the “Community Park”, from activities such as office rental, venue for hire income, arranging and catering for functions, rental of accommodation and the provision of services to tenants.

ZCBF as a Development Partner 

Essentially, the ZCBF has the infrastructure and skills that are geared towards the cost effective delivery of community based projects.  In addition, it has access to a substantial database of information, which has been established through extensive networks. This information enables the ZCBF to avoid duplication of effort (e.g. the instances of many funders responding to the same request), to rationalize an approach (e.g. how one evaluates a request for funding), and most importantly; to be proactive in our approach.

Since its launch, the ZCBF has received national and international recognition. The significance of the recognition is that it both provides the ZCBF with an independent means to evaluate its activities, and provides its stakeholders with acknowledgement that they, in all probability, could not have received by themselves.

1997      NOVA GLOBAL BEST AWARD for best education partnerships. Winner

1998      EDUCATION AFRICA – SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships. Winner.

1999      WEEKLY MAIL AND GUARDIAN AWARD, for investing in the future. Winner.

1999      SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships. Runner up.

1999      INSTITUTE OF PEOPLE MANAGEMENT. Runner up.

1999      IMPUMELELO AWARD, for alleviating poverty. Made a presentation to Parliament, - was placed in the

               top 15 organisations in South Africa. Runner up

2000      IMPUMELELO AWARD, for alleviating poverty. Winner.

2001      EDUCATION AFRICA – SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships. Winner.

2002      ANNUAL MAIL & GUARDIAN AWARD, for investing in the future. Winner (for the Ethembeni Care Centre).

2003     DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL & POPULATION DEVELOPMENT AWARD, for the Ethembeni Care Centre -

              chosen as one of three best practice models in South Africa.