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.

Then devastating floods hit the same area in 1985 and 1987 (Cyclone Demoina) and the networks established by the Peace Accord united once again to rebuild the communities. This was achieved through the “Zululand Rural Foundation” (ZRF), which received generous 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, resulting in the establishment of the Zululand Chamber of Business Foundation.