Midcham Newsletters, Author at Business Directory

We want our town back.

We want our town back

The Executive Committee of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants our Municipality to function at its best. All departments of the town administration, from accounting to traffic and security services.

Middelburg, through the Middelburg Forum, has found a way to weather the political turmoil of the 1980s and find a middle ground for all communities to thrive in the changing environment. Our town received so many awards, had clean audits, and was the cleanest town in Mpumalanga, with no potholes and with quick turnaround of municipal services. We want that municipality back.

Important issues that will create jobs and a great future for our children are now being ignored by the municipality because of the strike. We need an exemption so that our town does not lose jobs because of the Just Energy Transition. Instead of working together to find ways to protect our town and our jobs, the municipality is fighting with itself. As outsiders, we are stuck and exposed to what is happening. We have already lost a major employer with Blue Ribbon, we do not want to be the next Lichtenburg.

The MCCI has 18 annually elected executive members representing business sectors in our region. The leader of the committee is Que Naidoo the elected President. Under her leadership, we first met with the Steve Tshwete Mayoral Committee in August 21 and then wrote a letter to the Council on October 21 listing how services impact Middelburg businesses. We also met with the newly elected members of the mayoral committee in March 2022 and stressed the importance of a fully functioning municipality.

To clarify, MCCI is a non-profit organisation made up of employers. This means it is a business organisation that looks after the interests of businesses. Any business is welcome to become a member. Your company needs a business registration document and pay a nominal membership fee to become a member. We create a platform for businesses to network and lobby for business issues. We are not a government organisation, nor are we a charity that gives things away for free. We believe that something that is free has no value.

We urge the leadership of the municipality to find a solution to the strikes soon, otherwise we might lose other important employers as well. How do we want to live in Middelburg, as a prosperous community with educated children who have a future, or as a ghost town as many of the outside consultants predict.

I say no to a ghost town, with no jobs, no future.

We want our town back, to be the best again.

Contact Mmabatho or Njabulo at 013 243 2253 if you want to know more about becoming a member.

Lively Golf day with Naas Botha

Lively Golf day with Naas Botha

On May 13, the Middelburg Chamber held its annual corporate golf day at the Middelburg Country Club. The day was filled with laughter and excitement from 144 registered players who made for a very crowded field. 18 T-box sponsors and 6 greens sponsors ensured that we had a decorative, creative and energetic golf course. Each with its own music and games.

The programme director for the awards ceremony was Christo de Ridder from ThinkSolutions. The master of ceremonies, the famous Naas Botha, provided an evening full of jokes and fun and an interactive evening with the audience. Naas Botha was the cherry on top of our Chamber’s already successful event.

Anna-Marth Ott, CEO of MCCI, opened the event and welcomed all the sponsors and players. Corrie Barnard of FAW Highveld Commercial, the main sponsor, followed by Dawid Westermann from Nashua Mpumalanga, addressed the crowd, giving them a short overview of the main sponsors’ businesses.

All T’s and Green sponsors:

Phillips Global
Qembu Middelburg
Klinger Mzansi
Cross Labour
AeQuim
One Weigh Middelburg
Gibbs & De Jager Inc.
Nungu Property Group
Umsizi Mining
Brimis Engineering
First National Bank
Green Ticket Testing Solutions
Liebherr-Africa
CrossFit Artaxes/Midwell Dietitians
Mbungiswa Logistics
Schoonbee Landgoed
Earthcomp
Jonsson Workwear
Thos Begbie & Company
Carl Bechem SA
PriceWaterhouseCoopers SA
Columbus Stainless
Spec-cast Middelburg

Prize sponsors:

Columbus Stainless
Liebherr-Africa
Brimis Engineering
Schoonbee Landgoed
Middelburg Mall
Johnsson Workwear
One Weigh
FAW Highveld Commercial
MS Design
ThinkSolutions
Cross Labour
Carl Bechem SA
Hole in one prize sponsor – Middelburg Chamber

No takers for the R100 000.00 cash prize sponsor on hole 3 for the hole in one.

Picture – Nearest to the Pin (Johan Strydom – Columbus Stainless)
- Nearest to the Pin (Julian Coetzee – Schoonbee Landgoed)
Picture – Longest drive (Danny Pienaar – Schoonbee Landgoed)
Picture – Longest drive (Nick Pinheiro – Phillips Global)
Picture – Kianga Group was the winner with their two female players, Maxine Luck and Daleen du Preez
Picture – FNB with a second place winners, Johan de Bruto and Rohan Stander

5 T-box and Green Sponsors received prices for the best vibes

Brimis Engineering
Phillips Global
Gibbs and De Jager attorneys
Spec-cast
Carl Bechem SA

3 prizes for best dressed 4-balls

Johnson Wear
Umsizi Mining
Liebherr Africa

Thank you to all 4-balls and players – thank you for your participating and being part of the day. The Chamber executive members thank you for the support and the raffle sponsor prizes. Thank you to all our sponsors for the day. See you next year!!

R555: SANRAL met with MCCI

R555: SANRAL met with MCCI

Members of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by President Que Naidoo, and several SANRAL Northern Region representatives met to discuss the maintenance and condition of the R555 from Jackaroo Park to Middelburg.

The meeting began with businesses sharing their experiences of using the road. Members complained that mines operating adjacent to the R555 encroach on road reserves. The numerous coal trucks litter the road with debris and dust, making it dangerous to drive on. Also, the dust obscures the road markings. The area near the Sentech tower is very unsafe, especially because of the turning circles of the trucks entering and leaving the various mines.

Maintenance of the road in the two-lane sections has been substandard, forcing vehicles to drive into oncoming traffic to avoid vehicle damage. The recent heavy rains have washed away areas around the shoulders of the road, making it difficult for vehicles to exit or drive onto the road. It is challenging to brake sharply or take evasive action if needed due to the road conditions. Businesses are concerned about the safety of their employees travelling on the R555.

Hauliers complained that between the condition of the R555 and the expensive N4, they are reluctant to deliver to Middelburg. The products transported are sometimes damaged during delivery due to the road condition. This affects the sustainability of the companies that use the R555, as they cannot always ensure that the products are delivered in perfect condition.

SANRAL said they have a contractor who has to maintain the road. One component is to cut the grass at the edges and keep the roadsides clean, and the other component is to maintain the road surface. SANRAL said they have noted the issues raised and will address them. SANRAL was not aware of the problems with the mines and will look into the matter.

SANRAL planned to upgrade the 21 kilometre stretch of the R555 into a dual road. The high traffic volume has damaged the road surface and its many layers. SANRAL was also previously reluctant to do the upgrade as it could shift more traffic from the N4 to the R555. Due to this change in the upgrade status, SANRAL had already engaged service providers to design the site. The construction period is expected to start in 18 to 24 months. To consolidate the access to the upgraded road will be time-consuming. It will involve negotiations regarding the first five kilometres within Emalahleni Municipality and various houses and properties adjacent to the road.

In 1999 MCCI, SANRAL, the Minister of Transport and TRAC met several times because of the communities of Middelburg and Witbank. We objected to the new position of the Middelburg Toll Plaza. These negotiations led to transferring that part of the R555 to SANRAL as a national road. The other important agreement was that the residents of these two municipalities would receive a 75% discount at the Middelburg Toll Plaza. This discount has eroded over the years. It was practically impossible to obtain the agreed concession when the tag system was introduced.

MCCI thanked SANRAL for their willingness to meet with the business community. Members members requested SANRAL to arrange a meeting with TRAC so that we can discuss our problems with the toll fees and the extended maintenance period of the road. Businesses have been adversely affected by the positioning of the Middelburg Toll Plaza and the condition of the R555. Given the current economic situation, we urge all parties to find a solution that benefits us.

MCCI met with Indonesian Representatives

MCCI met with Indonesian Representatives
The President of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Que Naidoo, and several business people met with the Indonesian Charge d’Affaires and economic advisors on 26 April 2022 to discuss possible business opportunities between our town and Indonesia on 26 April 2022.

Indonesia is a developed country with high income and low unemployment rate. The low unemployment rate is due to the country’s entrepreneurship policy, which removes many bureaucratic requirements that can hinder the success of a start-up business. Some of the areas where they want to do business with us are beverages, batik exports and fashion.

South African tourist visas for Indonesia are free and relatively easy to obtain. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Indonesian visas for South Africa. South African visa regulations, introduced many years ago, are still a problem and it can take up to two months for Indonesians to get a visa.

Members were excited about the joint investment opportunities and future trade relations.

The Illegality Of The Municipal Tariff Regulations Of Nersa.

The Illegality Of The Municipal Tariff Regulations Of Nersa

The filing period for the annual municipal electricity tariff increases is currently underway. The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry participates in the Association of Chamber of Commerce (ASAC) submission and subsequent legal action against the municipal tariff provisions. Below you will find a summary of the ASAC submission.

ASAC is, in this case, concerned with representing electricity consumers behind municipal boundaries. Municipalities purchased 42% of their electricity from Eskom in the 2020/21 financial year 1. Municipal industrial users consumed about half of this, or almost 20% of Eskom’s output. Including commercial use, we estimate that the municipal industry consumes up to 26% of Eskom’s power.

For example, the municipal industry includes almost the entire automotive industry (all Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and almost the entire supply base). A significant proportion of the country’s large-scale industry and almost all of its medium-scale industry is dependent on municipal supply and tariffs. Therefore, the municipal supply function and the setting of tariffs affect a large part of South Africa’s manufacturing economy and the associated jobs in these sectors. The total membership represents almost 1 million employed people.

To reiterate the arguments from previous submissions and relevant to the key issues surrounding the 2022/2023 Consultation Paper, Nersa has not changed its approach to tariff setting. Nersa appears intent on continuing down the path of its historically flawed approaches. Despite the apparent breach of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), Nersa allowed the erroneous increase in municipal tariff guidelines and benchmarks to continue for the 2021/2022 financial year.

In its decision, Nersa did not make any credible prediction that this method would not be used in the future. Some ASAC members have taken Nersa’s decision on the 2021/2022 municipal tariffs to court. The businesses were frustrated by the regulator’s unwillingness or inability to make positive changes to the municipal electricity supply Industry (ESI).

Members interested in receiving a copy of the ASAC submission should contact Anna-Marth Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

Review of the Electricity Regulatory Act and related Electricity Pricing Policy.

Review of the Electricity Regulatory Act and related Electricity Pricing Policy.

The Casting, Forging, and Machining Cluster (CFMC) is concerned that industrial users are burdened by municipal tariffs. The EPP promulgated in 2008 is largely ignored and is not seen as a policy directive but rather as a rough guide. The EPP has little relevance in the current process of setting municipal tariffs.

In many municipalities, these tariffs are poorly structured, not cost-reflective, and contain illegal and unrelated subsidies that lead to unjustified increases in production costs. Individual producers are unable to offset these costs through productivity increases alone. These unjustified increases in municipal and industrial tariffs and poor security of supply have led to an increasing loss of competitiveness of South African companies in the global market.

The current structures and pricing processes tax producers upfront for a small profit and serve to destroy the economy. The review document offers little, although the changes are exciting. CFMC believes that local governments need to be encouraged to follow the law and related guidelines. Enforcement of the guidelines is problematic. CFMC cautions that the ideals of a fair and equitable process will be further limited if deviation and non-compliance are allowed. Market corrections in the ESI will not necessarily benefit the industry. There is a risk that free-market outcomes will be compromised. The CFMC is concerned about the lack of controls on municipal electricity bills, which largely offset inefficiencies. And regardless, we do not have sufficient knowledge and information to have a constructive discussion on cost structures, cost drivers and unbundling.

Load curtailment is a valuable tool to encourage industrial users to reduce their load in times of need. CFMC is keen to work with municipalities to facilitate introducing such a programme in industrial areas.

In the past, Steve Tshwete Municipality has provided good support and acceptable (within the legislative framework) tariff increases to industrial areas. Security of supply remains a concern in light of the recent municipal strike and continuous vandalism of municipal infrastructure. The debate between the stakeholders must be held soon; our town needs its industries to remain economically viable.

A copy of the full submission is available to members at the MCCI secretariat; please contact us at info@middelburginfo.com.