Press Statements

Johannesburg, South Africa

The Black Management Forum (the BMF) will host its Annual Conference on Thursday, 12 October at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg. The Annual Conference brings together a number of executives, senior managers and business leaders from all provinces to meet and discuss, under a specific theme, current issues affecting the socio-economic transformation landscape and the further development of South Africa.

These issues are critical, pertinent, provocative and require intense interrogation by leaders and managers today. The Conference aims to engage government, civil society and business leaders to finding solutions to these issues.

The 2017 Conference theme is: The South Africa We Deserve, continuing with the BMF’s theme for 2017.

It has been 23 years since our freedom and democracy, and yet we still grapple with how we could achieve total transformation in our society. The rainbow nation of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu seems to be elusive. If we are to have prosperity and peace in our country, we need to have the dividends of our freedom and democracy cascaded down to all citizens. South Africa has to meet the challenges of building a truly inclusive economy that will address the injustices of the past. The South Africa We Deserve will propel socio-economic transformation. 

“South Africa is at a crossroad as far as leadership is concerned. We have to make difficult choices on leadership from politics to business and society broadly. We need to raise the bar and create high standards of leadership. As South Africans, we deserve a leadership that loves its people; a leadership that wants to make a positive and sustainable difference in the lives of its people. We deserve a corrupt-free leadership that puts its people first. The leaders that we deserve are resourceful, responsive and responsible. South Africa is a rich country and does not deserve to have poor citizens. We should all make the efforts to be more patriotic and sympathetic to the plight of our people – for our people to live in a country they deserve. The late former BMF President Lot Ndlovu once reminded us that “leadership which based on values does not sacrifice transformation.”” Commented BMF President, Mncane Mthunzi.

The Conference is bifurcated into four sessions, each with a specific subtheme, that will be interrogated and deliberated on. The subthemes, pertinent to The South Africa We Deserve are namely: Achieving Inclusive Economic Growth; Workplace Dynamics and Corporate Transformation, Political Crossroads and the Big Discussion. The Big Discussion will encompass the business, the economic, the academic, the judicial and the political perspectives of The South Africa We Deserve. Business leaders, political analysts and corporate executives have confirmed to participate as panelists to address, tackle and lead the discussions in formulating solutions to these critical socio-transformation issues. Some of the speakers who will address the delegates are: Wits University Associate Professor, Prof Chris Malikane (Achieving Inclusive Economic Growth); The Competition Commission Commissioner, Tembinkosi Bonakele (Achieving Inclusive Economic Growth); Commission for Employment Equity Commissioner, Tabea Kabinde (Workplace Dynamics and Corporate Transformation); Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) CEO, Nicky Newton-King (Workplace Dynamics and Corporate Transformation); University of Johannesburg Political Scientist, Prof Steven Friedman (Political Crossroads); Albright Stonebridge Group Senior Advisor, Adv Mojanku Gumbi (Political Crossroads); and Former President of the BMF, Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu (The Big Discussion).

The BMF will also host its Annual Achievement Awards on Friday, 13 October 2017 at Gallagher Convention Centre. The Annual Achievement Awards Dinner honours and recognises the BMF’s and South Africa’ exceptional achievers and leaders that contribute to the advancement of transformation and managerial leadership development in the country. The Dinner has been a major networking event on the South African business calendar, bringing together p to 1000 high profile guests from both the private and public sectors. The Dinner is also a social gathering that enables the development of a positive economic state. The keynote address will be delivered by Former President of AZAPO, Dr Mosibudi Mangena.

BMF members and non-BMF members are invited to attend the Conference.

For more information on conference packages and for registration, please visit the BMF website at www.bmfonline.co.za or contact Iviwe Rwayi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Members of the media are invited to apply for Conference and Dinner media accreditation through Anele Ndlovu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

About the Black Management Forum

The Black Management Forum (the BMF) has been in existence for 41 years. It is a non-racial, thought-leadership organisation with the main purpose of influencing socio-economic transformation in our country, in pursuit of socio-economic justice, fairness and equity. The BMF stands for the development and empowerment of managerial leadership and the creation of managerial structures and processes that reflect the demographics and values of the wider society.

For more information, please contact: 

Anele Ndlovu
Black Management Forum
Head: Marketing & Communications
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
076 431 2899