The community benefit organisation (CBO) sector is by far the largest and most diverse in South Africa. It makes up 8% of GDP and is able to command the expenditure of R13 billion per year with a staff 650,000 employees and volunteers. Mining, the next biggest sector, is only 6% of the economy. Yet, despite this volume and capital, the CBO sector is relatively unknown in terms of their impact and alignment with community needs. There is very little that you can buy in the commercial sector (from hair-care products, to clothes, to specialised hydraulic equipment) that isn't somewhere rated in comparison to peer offerings and the needs of the consumer. CBOs are not.
