Category: April 2019 Newsletter

Mr. Bheki Khenisa, the Municipal Manager (MM) of Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM) met with members from the Security Cluster to give an update of STLM’s actions regarding safety within the Central Business District(CBD).
The MM informed representatives from the security companies, South African Police Services (SAPS), the Community Police Forum and the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) of STLM’s recent actions regarding the safety in the CBD. He said that although crime prevention is not STLM’s competency the crime statistics of Middelburg is a concern, and the Council has approved funds to implement STLM’s Safety and Security Strategy.
The municipality installed cameras in various areas in Middelburg and Hendrina and is under twenty-four-hour surveillance in a state of the art control room. He warned that there is strict access control to the control room, but there will be a viewing room for authorised organisations such as SAPS. There is also a radio link to SAPS to ensure quick and effective action.
Khenisa also discussed issues such as vacant stands and incomplete building sites and said that legal opinion had been sought to clarify bylaw regulations that apply to the problem sites. He also reminded the Cluster that STLM has advertised the relevant Bylaws and urged the public to familiarise themselves with these laws.
MCCI welcomes the actions by STLM and urges businesses to support this project as it will have a direct impact on the crime that affects business.

The SACCI monthly Business Confidence Index for March was recently published. Flat global economic growth rates remain a concern – especially notable in some of South Africa’s major trading partners. Weaker trade and output levels and country-specific challenges are adding to pressure on growth prospects. Although global output is expected to increase over the medium term (notably a better performance by the Chinese economy), the risks are still slanted towards a weak economic growth.

Local events impact the domestic economy
The contentious and widely debated issue regarding the possibility of nationalising the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) emerged on public platforms during the month. This matter arouses fears of the negative impact of a non-independent central bank on the economy.

Moody’s did not publish its latest rating assessment of the South African economy at this stage, providing some reprieve from the fear of a rating downgrade, albeit temporary. Concerns of weaknesses in almost all SOEs, and in particular Eskom is what fuels fear of a Moody’s downgrade of the country’s public debt.

Load shedding during March 2019 was unexpected, and its impact on the well-being of the economy, in particular business, consumers and investors were notable. In this context, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry has stated on 22 March 2019. It highlighted the following matters:

• Load shedding is having a devastating negative impact on business.
• It will postpone the economic recovery.
• There will be potential job losses and business closures.
• Explanations did not create confidence that problems will be solved.
• There appears to be a lack of practical solutions and time frames to fix electricity outages.
• The government must take bold and decisive steps to solve the problem.
• A review of resource allocation of the workforce, systems, capital and ideas to achieve optimality, and.
• Unstable electricity supply is draining enthusiasm and investor confidence.

SACCI’s BCI, as a reflection of the business climate, continued to decline in difficult and uncertain global and domestic circumstances. Moody’s non-pronouncement of its ratings and the tenacity and resilience of households and business provides hope of a positive response to policy certainty after the elections. .It is only after the general election in May 2019 that we will get clarity on the elements that influence business confidence. A copy of the full Business Confidence Index is available at secretary@middelburginfo.com.

Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industries are in partnership with Columbus stainless (Pty) Ltd in developing its suppliers through a great programme ActionCoach. Pieter Gruenbaum is a certified business coach providing business help, advice, coaching and monitoring services to small and medium companies. He is very passionate on helping businesses grow and helping you reach your ultimate goal.
Join the Middelburg Chamber community to experience all the growth you need in your company.
Contact the office for more info 013 243 2253.

Certification Ceremony

A certification ceremony was held on 28 March 2019 at the Middelburg Chamber Auditorium.

The three strategic partners ensure the success of student up-skilling and getting educated.

Strategic partners:
Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Wits Business School
Services Seta

The certification ceremony was a huge success and students were being awarded their certificates; this initiative was funded by the Services SETA, and we are very proud to announce a 77% pass rate for our 2018 class. Two hundred fifty students enrolled for 2018.

The following Wits Business School courses held in Middelburg and Nelspruit:
• Management Development Program
• Fast Track Leadership Development
• Executive Development Program

MCCI would like to congratulate the students and thanked the SSETA for the Grant and the members that allowed their employees to attend the course. Contact us today, if you want to enroll for the next available bursaries.
TOP STUDENTS 2018
FTLD
Themba Skhosana- 1st Place
Sumaiya Patel- 2nd Place
Charmaine Muller, Lindokuhle Shembe & Sarah van der Westhuizen – 3rd Place
MDP 1
Elzanne van Dyk- 1st Place
Katlego Moroane- 2nd Place
Tebogo Makola- 3rd Place
MDP 2
Sibongile Mahlangu – 1st Place
Chantelle-Merie Bunting – 2nd Place
Gladys Mahlangu – 3rd Place
MDP 3
Beate Dreyer – 1st Place
Barbara Coetzee – 2nd Place
Gertruida Terblanche – 3rd Place
EDP
Moeketsi Mpotu – 1st Place
Nicolette Ashburner & Glanderlyn Sibeko – 2nd Place
Andile Nqandela – 3rd Place

The days are getting longer and nights are colder, and we must start unpacking our winter wardrobe and put the flip flops and bikinis back into the closet. Winter is here, and that means cosy nights by the fire and red wine to share with friends and loved ones.

With Easter around the corner, it is not always easy to keep the traditions going with Easter egg hunts and play dates in the sun. However, why not make the most out of your Easter long weekend with a few of these fun ideas from Pinterest like creating beautiful doilies Easter eggs and paint them different colours. Alternatively, for loads more fun, you can visit the Middelburg Tourism Offices’ website on Http://www.MiddelburgTourism.co.za and see what we have to offer at various establishments all over Middelburg and on the Loskop Leisure Route.

On Saturday 13 April, there was a hustle in Middelburg as everyone got ready at the starting point. Despite the cold and mist, more than 4 000 runners were prepared to take on the beautiful scenic road to Loskop Dam.
The Information Centre is proud to have been able to arrange accommodation and shuttling to some of the entries and would like to thank them for choosing the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) as their booking agent of choice. MCCI invites all the runners to start booking their accommodation as early as November 2019 to ensure that they will have a secure booking in place.
Despite the protest action that delayed the event and may have affected the race in a small way, the runners did not hold back and gave it all. The positive impact this event has on our town’s economy cannot be dismissed and should be supported by all. Moreover, we should show solidarity as a town towards visitors to events that has such a positive impact on our town.
Congratulations to the organisers, participants, and athletes – from the Rhino runners all the way to the 21.5km runners. Thank you for a great event.

Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry creates exposure to the right target market.
As a key player in Middelburg, we enable and lead the business. This is achieved through a multitude of services, networking opportunities as well as robust advocacy on behalf of business.
The Chamber represents the business of all sizes and virtually all sectors. Our members count on us for support and through access to affordable and reliable advertising opportunities we strive to give our members the exposure they need.

Become a member today!

Call Angelique Meyer on 078 801 9719 or e-mail marketing@middelburginfo.com
Our calendar of events is published on our website: www.middelburginfo.com
Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MburgChamber

Affordable Advertising Opportunities:

Annual Business Guide re-envisioned for the 2019/2020 edition call to secure your advert!

Our core focus for 2019 is ‘New Beginnings ‘, and we’ve already gone through so many interesting and exciting developments. We’re taking the Business Guide that you’ve learned to love to new heights, and we cannot wait to show you what we’ve been doing.
We’re engaging with our community like never before through our social media (Facebook) account. Moreover, the interest is evident with our women’s day event for 2019 that has already reached over 11 000 people.
Moreover, we’re also launching a new publication ‘The Loskop Leisure Route Map’ at the end of the month, that will be travelling to the Durban Indaba.
2019 has been full of new developments, and we invite all our members and the community to participate in these exciting new ventures.

Contact Angelique or Adriaan on 013 243 2253 or on marketing@middelburginfo.com / design@middelburginfo.com today to become part of the journey forward.