February 2024
Overview
The South African Indo-Afro Business Association (referred to as “SAIBA”), a non-profit organisation established for a public benefit purpose within the meaning of section 10 of the Income Tax Act, 1962 as amended; was established by independent entrepreneurs under the auspices of AUBC (The African United Business Confederation) with a common vision to broaden and create a platform for the economic empowerment and development of business entrepreneurs in South Africa.
The fundamental Key Performance Area of SAIBA is to enable the commercial transition of South African Black, Coloured and Indian persons in the “business” arena from marginalised to leading and to provide a platform for engagement with stakeholders. This is further supported by the following Key Performance Interventions:
- promote and encourage meaningful participation of Previously Disadvantaged People in the mainstream of the South African economy with emphasise on African economic development.
- promote business interest amongst the members of SAIBA.
- provide networking opportunities for the members for the advancement and development of their business interest.
- ensure and promote the development of entrepreneurial skills amongst Previously Disadvantaged People’s businesses to make them competitive in the world economy.
- liaise and develop relations between these previously disadvantaged groups and businesses on the African continent and their counterparts in other parts of the world.
- create communication channels between business and various governments globally and other interested groups.
- establish an Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Development Fund (the “Trust”) for investment.
- evaluate existing and planned public policies, regulatory frameworks, and structures in so far as they relate or purport to relate to business and the development of entrepreneurs in the world.
- assess entrepreneurial development initiatives as they evolve in the public, quasi-public, private, developmental-aid, and non-governmental sectors, with particular focus on their impact in the empowerment process and on the development of entrepreneurs generally.
- develop guidelines and recommendations on criteria and benchmarks of what constitutes entrepreneurial development and empowerment.
- propose measures to key stakeholders for the effective monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the proposed guidelines.
AS-IS STATE
SAIBA since inception in 2023 has steadily increased its membership to include South African Previously Disadvantaged People’s businesses together with South African Previously Disadvantaged Persons in their individual capacity.
The current membership includes representatives:
- from both the female and male gender,
- representatives from youth to the elderly,
- from national and international entities,
- from all 12 official languages,
- from clerical to professional roles,
- from diverse spiritual “faiths”,
- from sectors of education, healthcare, oil and gas, mining, logistics, air and ground transportation, information technology, food, agriculture, and retail.
As a collective, looking nationally, SAIBA’s individual and entity members have a significant impact on South Africa’s socio-economic landscape. Our “social contract” with the people of South Africa, honours on a daily basis many paying jobs and honours many non-profit corporate social responsibilities. In addition, our “economic contract” with the country of South Africa, honours on a daily basis many commercial businesses that contribute to the tax regime, that contribute to commercial delivery of goods and services and equally imperative contributes to the business development growth agenda of South Africa.
As a collective, our history of “racial” struggle binds us to ensure our children and grandchildren do not ever experience the same and hence binds us to the African National Congress and its affiliates and binds us to ensure the relevant contribution.
BUT
For us to effectively deliver on our socio-economic contract to “SA. Inc” we on an hourly basis struggle with bureaucracy, struggle with divisions of not being South African enough, struggle with tribalism and struggle with “getting a seat at the table to voice our contribution” and as a result “being marginalised”.
TO-BE STATE
President of the ANC and of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, said “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities” and it is this that we are determined to support and ensure translates into reality.
Regards,
Dr Kinesh Pather
(Chairperson: SAIBA)
Riaz Gani
(Co-Chairperson: SAIBA)