The South African Premier Business Awards is an annual event hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in partnership with Proudly South African and Brand South Africa. The awards recognise business excellence and honours enterprises that promote the spirit of success and innovation as well as job creation, good business ethics and quality. These awards bring together all single sectored awards, among others technology, manufacturing and women in business. 
 

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Dr Anna Mokgokong is the co-founder and Executive Chairperson of Community Investment Holdings (CIH).

CIH is a 100% black-owned investment company founded by Dr Mokgokong and her business partner in 1995 and today the company has interests in healthcare, technology, logistics, mining, financial services investments and property development.

She currently sits on the board of a number of companies, including pharmaceutical giant Adcock Ingram Holdings, where she is the Non-Executive Director.

Born in Soweto and raised in Swaziland, Dr Mokgokong completed her medical training in Botswana and started her career as a medical doctor. However, she has always had a flair for business and it wasn’t long before she started her own business.

“I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I believe it is genetic, because my great-great-grandfather was a trader. My paternal grandfather was a commercial farmer and I’ve always liked the finer things in life, so one had to be innovative to come up with pocket money, hence I started with trading my sandwiches at school for cash,“ explains Dr Mokgokong.

As a medical student she ran a successful retail business selling fashion items to her fellow students and after graduating went on to establish a medical centre that serviced thousands of patients.

“In 1992, when the winds of change prevailed, the timing was perfect for me to make the right move. My first investments were in healthcare, which was very successful,” she says. This love for business would eventually give birth to the CIH, which she formed alongside her business partner in 1995.

Although Dr Mokgokong today presides over a business enterprise worth billions of rands, there have been times when her resolve has been tested. By 1999, her companies were worth an estimated R3 billion before an economic downturn heaped pressure on her business, causing the value of her enterprise to crash.

“The most important lesson I took from that experience was to stay calm, be patient and remain resilient. In business one must be prepared for the long-term, but be realistic about your situation,” says Dr Mokgokong.

The doctor and her business partner remained steadfast and rebuilt their business after rebranding as CI Holdings[H1]  a year later and the rest is history.

For Dr Mokgokong her training as a doctor instilled her with the drive to be an active member of the community where she serves and lives, a trait she has maintained throughout the development of her business empire.

Her success in business led to her recognition at the 2015 South African Premier Business Awards, where was recognised in the Lifetime Achievement category. The award is a discretionary award that recognises an individual who has contributed significantly to the economic development of South Africa over their lifetime. The award recognises businesspeople with more than 30 years’ active involvement in business.

Today CI[H2]  Holdings is in a healthy financial position and Dr Mokgokong’s passion for business is as strong as ever as she is motivated by her desire to make a change and a positive impact on the business and communities in which she serves.

“Business is not for the faint-hearted and I learnt that the hard way. One has to stay resilient. But I would urge any young entrepreneur to always think big. You have nothing to lose if you make a move, but if you don’t move you will never know what you could be missing out on,” she says.

Dr Mokgokong believes that all young entrepreneurs must have some sort of specialised education to provide them with knowledge and an appetite for hard work to build their dreams.


 [H1]Should this not be CIH?

 [H2]Should this not be CIH?

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