The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry celebrated 160 years of operation in style at its annual gala dinner on the 14 April 2016.  More than 900 guests were in attendance, mostly hosted at corporate tables acquired by the major companies in the City.  Vodacom was the platinum sponsor of the event.

Hosted at the Durban International Convention Centre, the glamorous event, with its theme of ball gowns, traditional wear, and suits with masks, provided many red-carpet photo opportunities. In addition, the
KwaZulu Natal Fashion Council collaborated with the Chamber to dress a selection of their board members in appropriate style.

A nostalgic tribute to Durban’s growth and development over the last 160 years set the celebratory mood for the evening’s programme, which included thought provoking speeches, interspersed with an outstanding variety of dance, music and signing performances. Makulu Event Producers certainly raised the bar for an evening to remember.

According to Dumile Cele, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry observing this ‘significant’ milestone demanded reflection of the past and a clear plan for the next century. She said, “It’s about us looking forward and saying to ourselves, what will it be like doing business in Durban 160 years from now?”

#DurbanMustRise

Cele called upon dinner guests to take part in the #DurbanMustRise campaign.  The Chamber’s birthday wish is to, â€œKick start a tsunami of goodwill, support and confidence in our City â€" recently voted as the best place in South Africa in which to live”. The campaign already boasts support from leaders in business, civil society, labour and government. Everyone in Durban is requested to question daily
how they can make the use of the resources at their disposal and make a conscious effort to work together, “To make our beautiful city a champion of commerce and business standing tall and proud”.  The hashtag #DurbanMustRise has been created for this campaign.

President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zeph Ndlovu, commented that the organisation has endured and has had to transform itself over the years in order to remain relevant.
Of note is that the Chamber is the biggest membership based chamber on the continent of Africa and possibly the second biggest chamber in the world. The Chamber intends to continue to â€˜lead the charge’ and inspire hope and confidence in the future for today’s school children. However, said Zeph Ndlovu, “It is essential to get economic fundamentals right in order to achieve growth.”

Key note speaker Peter Staude, Tongaat Hulett’s chief executive officer, stressed the call to action in order for progress to occur. He emphasised that businesses needed to question whether or not they were, ‘part of the solution or part of the problem’, when dealing with current societal and developmental issues facing South Africa. He said that companies had to think carefully about their corporate social investment programmes. In many cases employers also needed to be aware of the challenges facing employees outside the workplace. Staude added that it was necessary to start a
conversation and devise innovative solutions to co-opt and inspire employees at all levels.

Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer Enterprise â€"Vodacom, said, â€œVodacom is an active supporter of the chamber movement both regionally and national, because chambers of commerce and industry create connections amongst captains of industry. This creates the possibility to share ideas in the pursuit of greater social progress.”

He added, “It is the captains of industry gathered in this room who must innovate, grow the economy and create jobs for our youth. Every enterprise has to do more to address the challenges many African economies face today.”

Sustainable development goals in the areas of education, healthcare and agriculture, will have a significant socioâ€"economic impact on most African economies. Vodacom also understands that ICT enabled interventions would impact positively in these three key areas of the economy.  â€œAt Vodacom we continue to repurpose our technology to address major social issues faced by governments, industry and our clients at large. We reinvest your money to transform economies in the continent.” said Jarana.