Author: Midcham Newsletters

COID Amendment Bill has a few pitfalls for Business

The objective of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID) Amendment Bill of 2018. The Bill was published recently, and public hearings were held countrywide. A Ott attended the public hearing held in Witbank on 29 November 2018.

The key amendments to the COID are:
• The inclusion of domestic employees in the Act
• Improvement of benefits, e.g., rehabilitation and early return to work of injured employees
• Enforcements and compliance.

There are several governance changes such as a board member may only serve for four years, mandator replaced with the contractor, the Director General’s authority will be changed to the commissioner, the mutual association will be replaced by licensee and the High Court will be replaced by the Labour Court. When employers do not comply with the various regulations, they will be fined.

Instead of dismissing employees due to injuries all avenues should be exhausted before dismissal should be considered. Employers will receive rebates that participate in the rehabilitation of injured employees.
All domestic workers to be covered by COID, and the Department of Labour will be using the UIF register to ensure compliance.

The amendments were gazetted on 18 October 2018, Gazette 41985.

MCCI urges our members to familiarise yourself with the proposed amendment to ensure they remain in good standing. Just a reminder the amended COID wants to change the financial year-end to March instead of the SARS year-end of February.

Management and Leadership Courses

The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry has an opportunity for complimentary management and leadership courses. Our partnership with WITS Business School and Services SETA has over the years ensured more than 500 bursaries be allocated in Middelburg and surrounding towns in Mpumalanga.

Interested people can submit their names and contact details to businesslink@middelburginfo.com.

Communication will commence January/February 2019.

Do not miss this valuable opportunity

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For more info contact Sindiswa or Nomshado : 013 243 2253

The Business Linkage Centre had very interesting and yet successful 2018

The year was kicked off by various training sessions, workshops and overall business activities arranged by the BLC.

We are pleased to let you know that all projects and training we did as a department were completed. We are very glad and proud of all the outcomes and responses we’ve received from individuals and businesses for their growth during this year.

These are the training, events, and projects that we had:
• Marketing training
• Eskom workshop on site
• Financial Management training
• NYDA assessments and training sessions
• SEDA training sessions
• Action Coach – 5 ways of making massive profits
• Mandela Day (beneficiaries CMR, Hospice, St. Josephs Old age home, Care Village)
• Know your Business Event
• WBS sponsored classes by SSETA (250 students)
• Witbank Economy session by Nedbank
• Various Enterprise Development projects
• Various Supplier Development projects
• Various Socio-Economic Development projects

More than R10 million Rand was invested into our members, businesses and invested for local economic development.

We are looking forward to a very exciting 2019 full of growth and opportunities.

We would like to extend a vote of thanks and appreciation to all our investors, partners and members we are grateful.

To be part of the business linkage centre and to register on the database, contact businesslink1@middelburginfo.com or call 013 243 2253

Polokwane to Paternoster

Struggling to plan your 2019 holidays, have just become a thing of the past. With a fresh new look and a brand new year, we have decided to bring you an all-rounder trip right to your doorstep!

You will now be able to book flights, accommodation, meals, romantic getaways and much more all under one roof. All you need to do is give us the budget, dates, and destinations and we will do the rest.

Your holidays just got more interesting with Middelburg Tourism And Information Centre, as we will be able to book every night at a different establishment, with or without dinner and breakfast, activities and or spa treatments.

Feel free to contact us to plan your next holiday, romantic getaway or team building event.

Contact details:
013 243 2253

info@middelburginfo.com
www.middelburginfo.co.za

2019 Mine Map

The MCCI Mine Map discussion went viral on Social media, but we have been updating the mine information since 2013. You can now find out for yourself where are the mines situated.

“Are you doing business with mining companies in Mpumalanga and want to obtain logistics information on mining activities in the area, the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce can assist.”

MCCI gathered and verified the latest valuable information and published it in the form of a Mine Map.
You can find your way in the maze of logistics to source information on the mining companies in the area, or you can purchase the Mine Map from the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Listed are 170 contact names, numbers, and GPS coordinates.

Contact Annelie Landman for more information at 013 243 2253 or marketing@middelburginfo.com.

Confidence benefits from real action

SACCI’s October 2018 trade conditions survey indicated continued, strained activity, while the six-month prospects were muted, but stable. There are signs that the subtle turnaround in SACCI’s Business Confidence Index (BCI) in September was maintained in October 2018, by gaining another 2.5 index points to record 95.8. Last year the BCI shed 0.1 index points. The BCI was also 2.9 points higher in October 2018 than in October 2017.

As the SACCI BCI comprises of critical elements inherent to the business climate, it is significant that the average BCI for the first ten months of 2018 was higher than the average of the BCI for the same period in 2017. The adverse economic and business environment was addressed by real action and could be more sustainable and enduring if followed by economic policy certainty.

Several events and developments during October 2018 affected the local economy and the business climate. One of the important events was the appointment of Minister Mboweni on 9 October 2018, as Minister of Finance, following from the resignation of Minister Nene. Further developments included the IMF releasing its latest World Economic Outlook; Moody’s releasing a research note on South Africa’s credit rating; the Investment Summit; and the Minister of Finance delivering his inaugural Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on 24 October 2018.

The economic policy should be adhered to, to require the general conditions to prevail, with sacrifices made to promote continuous, higher growth. The latest IMF and Treasury estimates for growth are below 1 percent for 2018 and only slightly better in 2019. It is timeous to make a realistic assessment of the economy and business climate, which both could benefit by taking real action.

For a full background to this month’s SACCI BCI see the economic commentary in the BCI report on www.sacci.org.za.

Second round of Comments on Carbon Tax

The Minister of Finance recently announced the implementation of the carbon tax effective from 1 June 2019. The Draft Carbon Tax Bill makes provision for the carbon offset allowance in terms of Section 13.

The National Treasury today publishes the Draft Regulation on the Carbon Offset for a second round of public comment and further consultation. A key design feature of the carbon tax is the carbon offset allowance which provides flexibility to firms to reduce their carbon tax liability by either 5 or 10 percent of their total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by investing in projects that reduce their emissions.

The main comments received on the first Draft Regulation on the Carbon Offset focused on:

 the design of the carbon offset including the role of the carbon offset in facilitating the transition to a low carbon economy;

 scope of the offsets and the suitability of a cap on the allowance; and

 the technical, legal and administrative aspects of the regulation.

Due date for comments

The Draft Regulation on the Carbon Offset is available on the National Treasury website:

Written comments should be submitted to revisedoffsetcomments@treasury.gov.za by close of business on 14 December 2018. Members interested in a copy of the Carbon Tax Regulation should contact Mmabatho at secretary@middelburginfo.com for a copy.

MCCI urges the government take note ove the impact the implementation Carbon Tax had on France and the Yellow vest riots.

Sponsored Management Training

The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry again offers the opportunity for our Members to send their employees for sponsored world-class management and leadership. Our partnership with WITS Business School and Services SETA has over the years ensured more than 500 bursaries are allocated to local businesses in Middelburg and surrounding towns in Mpumalanga.

Submit your name and contact details to ensure you do not miss out on this opportunity, to businesslink@middelburginfo.com. Communication will commence January/February 2019.

Testimonial from one of the 2018 students:

Thank you to Wits Business School and to the Middleburg Chamber of Commerce for giving us access to a great educational initiative. I completed my MDP in 2018, and it was really excellent, and all the lectures shared valuable information, and it opened many doors of opportunities for me. Yolandi Kleinhans from MPVO

Do not miss this valuable opportunity.

For more info contact Sindiswa or Nomshado : 013 243 2253

Tourism Signage Development Plan

On the 15th of November 2018, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency hosted a meeting regarding Tourism Signage in Mpumalanga. Local Municipalities and owners of local facilities attended.

Over the last couple of years, the Middelburg Tourist Information Centre assisted local facilities with branding their facilities with the use of Tourism Brown Boards.

Tourism signage is a vital part of destination marketing and management. Signage has many functions – it can attract visitors, provide direction and wayfinding, inform and educate. It also plays a critical role in linking visitors to the “product” or experiences within the area.

The fluidity in the tourism industry such as facilities may appear one year only to be replaced or fall away from the next due to the changing owners, customer needs or falling standards. Also, new facilities appear continually, and the demands to ‘announce’ a growing number of facilities at any one location in the road reserve cannot always be accommodated by the road authority in the longer term.

There are different types of tourist signage for facilities, such as:

  • Visitor/Tourist Information Centres
  • Pedestrian Signing
  • Accommodation Signing
  • Scenic Route Signing

Looking at branding your facilities with Tourism Brown Boards? Contact us on:

info@middelburginfo.com or 013 243 2253

Would you like to become a South African Tourist Specialist?

Register online NOW!!Just follow this link (https://saspecialist.southafrica.net/za/en) and create a profile.  This Speciality Online Course is divided into two sections namely the SA Specialist Essential & SA Specialist Experience.

This online course will equip you to sell South Africa as a whole to tourist looking for a destination to travel to.

Study when it suits you, free module-based online experience, easy to use and understand as well as hosts tons of important about South Africa.  You have 90 days to complete this course.

Why should you register?

  • Improve your knowledge on South Africa.
  • Improve your earning potential.
  • Improve business opportunities.
  • It’s free!

After this course, you’ll receive a branded Certificate confirming your completion of these courses.