Written by: Elizabeth Kunene

The International Convention Centre was brought to life on Thursday evening with the celebrations, dancing and cheers as the new Durban Chamber of Commerce president was inaugurated.

The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted their 161st annual gala dinner and inaugurated Musa Makhunga as their new Durban Chamber of Commerce president, who seemed to be honoured and thankful for the position.

The evening was hosted by Gcina Mhlophe who graced the audience with poetry.

Former President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce Zeph Ndlovu was one of the key speakers of the evening. Ndlovu spoke about his time as president and the ups and downs he had experienced. He also spoke highly of his colleagues and everyone that made his time easier and bearable as president.

“We are at the centre of the fourth industrial evolution. The most important thing we have to realise is that we are in the 21^st century and many of us are still battling to shed the shackles of the 20^th century yet we still have the 19^th century’s institutions to take us forward in order to face the challenges of today”, said Ndlovu.

“The challenges that we face today are those of speed Vs Reality the game has changed its not about big or small we have to move with speed if we want to sustain our selves as business people in the industry,” Ndlovu added.

He also encouraged the new president on his new position and asked everyone to support him and help him along the way as he was also helped when he got the position.

Makhunga was honoured with the medal of president and he pinned Ndlovu with a former president’s medal.

Makhungu spoke about the growth that he wants to implement in the tourism department and the growth of small businesses in Durban. He also spoke about how Durban has moved from two to four in the best South African tourism destination, and how to curb Durban’s loss of talented individuals to other provinces.

“We are aware that we took the leadership position in very tough circumstances and challenging economic conditions,” said Makhunga.

*Caption: Musa Makhungu addressing the audience after his inauguration.