+27 35 7971800
+27 35 7971800
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”. This was the first of its kind in South Africa, (the National Peace Accord was later modelled on this initiative), it united political, business and community leaders.
The ZCBF delivers its developmental role in three ways:
By identifying projects and sourcing funding for that specific project.
By project managing projects on behalf of other similar organisations.
By sourcing funding for NGO’s and developmental organisations.
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.
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.
2014 UCF, UTHUNGULU COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - Certificate of Appreciation.
2016 ZCCI, ZULULAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY - Business Excellence Awards - for Service Excellence/Community. Runner up.
2017 IMBUMBA FOUNDATION - Certificate of Appreciation.
The ZCBF delivers its developmental role in three ways:
By identifying projects and sourcing funding for that specific project.
By project managing projects on behalf of other similar organisations.
By sourcing funding for NGO’s and developmental organisations.
The ZCBF’s strategic capabilities relate to the activities of:
Project management of developmental and capacity building projects, in response to community needs - The ZCBF facilitates partnerships between businesses, NGO’s, educational bodies, and governmental agencies.
Administration and governance - The ZCBF provides advice and consulting 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.
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 rationalise 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 Winner of the NOVA GLOBAL BEST AWARD for best education partnerships.
1998 Winner of the EDUCATION AFRICA – SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships.
1999 Winner of the WEEKLY MAIL AND GUARDIAN AWARD, for investing in the future.
1999 Runner-up of the SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships.
1999 Runner-up of the INSTITUTE OF PEOPLE MANAGEMENT Award.
1999 Runner-up of the IMPUMELELO AWARD, for alleviating poverty. Made a presentation to Parliament, - was placed in the top 15 organisations in South Africa.
2000 Winner of the IMPUMELELO AWARD, for alleviating poverty.
2001 Winner of the EDUCATION AFRICA – SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL AWARD, for business education partnerships.
2002 Winner of the ANNUAL MAIL & GUARDIAN AWARD, for investing in the future (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.
2014 UCF, UTHUNGULU COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - Certificate of Appreciation.
2016 Runner-up of the ZCCI, ZULULAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY - Business Excellence Awards - for Service Excellence/Community.
2017 IMBUMBA FOUNDATION - Certificate of Appreciation.
The founding principle of all ZCBF initiatives is that of self-sustainability. The ZCBF was set up as a facilitator to align projects with the people and funding to make them happen, nurture them to independence, then step back and watch them grow.
The ZCBF Community Park is home to both business tenants and entertainment event like Hot Rods and the Zululand Trade Fair. These event provide a valuable showcase for Zululand business.
