Westville chamber is open for business
The chamber has been in existence for about three months and with more than 70 members was officially launched in early October.
THE recently launched Westville Business Chamber (WBC) aims to not only assist local, black owned businesses, but also help alleviate crime in Westville and surrounding areas.
“Crime is a huge problem in Westville and surrounding areas and we have put this on top of our agenda list,” said WBC deputy chairman, Vusi Mvelase.
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WBC is a public, non-profit organisation.
“We realised that Westville had many black business people, but there was no existing structure for them to meet, engage and share ideas This chamber was initially established so that business owners could get to know each other,” added Mvelase.
The chamber has been in existence for about three months and with more than 70 members was officially launched in early October.
The chamber’s goal is to be fully functional in January next year.
The organisation is the brainchild of Phila Mahaye who initially wanted to create a hub for entrepreneurs. “We aim to look out for the interests of black business people, create networking platforms, invite relevant speakers, promote a collaboration with other chambers and most importantly, show the vitality of inter trade,” said Mahaye.
The all-black group wants to thrive through innovative opportunities. “As a country we are behind on innovative ideas and we want to change that because innovation is an important component in successful businesses,” said executive member, Mandla Makhaba.
As much as the chamber caters for black-owned businesses, they have made it clear that they are not affiliated with any political party and want to work with structures of leadership in Westville.
According to the chamber, South Africa faces many challenges and they feel they have a responsibility to make a change. Mvelase said that as successful business people they want to assist in every way possible and want to make a significant difference.
“We don’t just want to make once-off donations to a school and call that making a difference. We want to journey with whoever we adopt and be part of every step of the impact we make in their lives,” he said.
The chamber is in the process of setting a website and invites business people of Westville and surrounding areas to get in touch and get involved.
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