South Africa can be proud to hold the torch for franchising in Africa. As the oldest internationally recognized Franchise Association on the continent, FASA has been responsible for the roll-out of ethical franchising in South Africa. It was founded in 1979 when the pioneers of franchising in South Africa, including such long-standing brands such as Wimpy, Mend-a-Bath, Steers, Milky Lane, Minit Print, Juicy Lucy, Mike’s Kitchen and King Midas, got together to form an association that would set down ethical standards, become a forum for networking and promote the business format of franchising to both business and the public. In retrospect, the forced isolation brought on by many years of sanctions strengthened franchising and the role of FASA, which concentrated on encouraging home-grown concepts rather than bemoan the lack of foreign franchises and set about establishing a very strong franchising ethic. Over the years FASA’s mandate has included various areas of development, in line with socio-economic, legal and political shifts.