Where it all Started
Hope – one word which summed up the feeling in the hearts of millions of disadvantaged people of South Africa on April 27 1994. The results of our country’s first democratic election sowed the seed for great expectations, but would legislative changes be enough to bear fruit for all in the long run? It was obvious to black business leaders that they would need to play a broader role in addressing the imbalances of the past, by consolidating their efforts to nurture economic growth.
What became clear was that South Africa had an economy with a missing middle: a few big companies at the top and a large number of small ones at the bottom.
The idea of WECBOF was born, but the question was whether there was a need for yet another business organisation when we had existing chambers of commerce and organised business. It was soon realised that the existing organisations did not meet the specific focussed needs of those businesses gathered around the core business of which was to become WECBOF: access to finance, access to training and access to opportunities. Read more about our history... Meet our staff members... Meet our board members...
