About: NAFCOC President's Desk

Profile of Lawrence Bhekinkosi Mavundla

Lawrence Mavundla is the Founder and President of African Co-operative for Hawkers and Informal Business (ACHIB), one of the key constituencies of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) which he also leads as the National President. Nafcoc, formed in 1964, is arguably one of this country’s oldest and largest business chambers. Mavundla has a long track record in small business activism and he has been a voice of conscience in matters affecting small business for over three decades.

Mavundla was born in the district of Eshowe in KwaZulu Natal. After high school he went on to work in the farms and mines ending up as a Shift Controller at East Driefontein Gold Mine. He was part of the formation of The National Union of Mine Workers, (NUM) where he became a shop steward. He was fired after organizing a strike. He was later arrested at Carltonville for helping organising the strike and send to Portchefstroon prison for nine months .He also worked briefly as an organizer for, Railways Harbors & Allied union and also for the Post Telecommunications workers union

He was founding General Secretary of the National Union of Farm Workers Armed with the defiance of youth and vision to succeed, Mavundla left his work as mine employee in the 1980s to start his own informal business in the streets of Johannesburg. He has never looked back. He founded ACHIB in 1986 to fight for the trading rights of blacks who faced a barrage of racist and discriminatory laws which prevented them from enterprising independently. Over the years the organisation has become a key and loud voice of the voiceless. ACHIB holds equity stakes in some of this country’s premier corporations including Barloworld and Cell C.

Mavundla sits on many boards including the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), a subsidiary of the State Owned Enterprise, The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and is also the Deputy President of the Black Business Council (BBC) where one of his key responsibilities is enterprise development. He remains a key and consistent authority in matters affecting small business and he has been widely interviewed by many media houses over the years.

Past Directorships and Positions Held

• Director of Achib Marketing Pty Ltd,
• Director of Achib wholesale ,
• Directorof King Products Cosmetics,
• Senior Manager Metro Cash and Carry Northern Division
• Director and Chairman Africa Genesis Construction , in partnership with Spie Bacticgnouls a French company,
• Director, Africa Genesis Investment, which is one of the founders of Cell C and shareholder.
• Trustee of Pula Foundation
• Trustee of Nations Trust, a youth trust with Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth as Patrons
• Council member of the Free Market Foundation.
• Director of Bopelo Mining,
• Director of Zelpy Mining,
• Director of Uniliver Foundation, Nelson Mandela Leadership Scholarship Fund.

Current Directorships

• Director & President of National Federated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc)
• Director & Chairman of Adiflash Investments
• Director & Chairman of Silver Vanity Investments
• Director of Small Enterprise Finance Agency, ( Sefa) a division of IDC
• Director & Chairman of Medi Card Pty Ltd.
• Vice President of The Black Business Council , ( BBC )
• Trustee of Nafcoc Trust
• Trustee of Achib Empowerment Trust,
• Executive Chairman of Zimele Auctioneers (Pty) Limited

Attended short courses

• Cranefield , in the U K, on Business Management and Administration
• Sweden Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Chamber Management and Strategy USA, Centre for International Private Enterprise, CIPE.
• He was awarded the Free Market Award, by the Free Market Foundation , for his exceptional contribution to the course of Economic Freedom 1988
• The KWV excellent award 1988'

Published Works

• He is the author and publisher of the book : Freedom to be Enterprising
• Contributed to the book: Let the Consumer Decide Jobs.