About Us

Initially called the TIC Business and Economics Group, the Congress of Business and Economics (CBE) was formed by the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC) in the late 1980’s as an activist business group. Within a short period of its inception, it was renamed and established as a separate business organization. The CBE  enjoyed popular support within its constituency, who were organized into local business chapters.

Following the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 and the transforming business context, in 2006 the CBE ceased operations until December 2012 when former members of the CBE executive re-evaluated its closure. The context of this discussion was the global recession and debate on the National Development Plan, which had been recently released. In a follow-up discussion with former executive members a decision was taken to re-establish the organization.

We will generally participate in and support the systematic economic transformation of the country that results in social justice and economic growth for all South Africans in line with our vision, mission and philosophy. Specifically,

• We will create opportunities for our members by exposing them to timely information and key decision-makers for their mutual benefit
• We will provide member-centric services ensuring consistent delivery and quality in line with our members’ needs
• We will mitigate our constituency’s risks by taking both preemptive and reactive measures; and by taking steps to positively shape our narrative
• We will empower our constituency by consulting them on their needs and priorities; and through our training programs
• We will play a meaningful role in national issues that affect our constituency.