Category: February 2020 Newsletter

NERSA Public Hearing – Stop what we are doing

Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) presented our comments to the NERSA committee in Mbombela on Monday, 17 February 2020.

We recommended that we should stop and rethink the methodology and impact of their management decisions.  Eskom sees NERSA “affordability” mandate as NERSA’s escape clause for not following the rules, and this is not beneficial to anyone.

MCCI requested that the maintenance cost for the Power Stations are ringfenced, and should not be reprioritized to other line items in the budget.  A sore point for MCCI is the fact that Municipalities were allowed to default on their electricity accounts; these unpaid debts should be considered as non-technical losses.  Should the current situation continues for much longer, the outcome will be that businesses would start to use alternative energy, and that would be ruinous for the municipalities and Eskom.

MCCI implore NERSA to regulate the industry – there is a much bigger picture with far-reaching consequences than the application before them.

13th Deferment of Payment – SARS

The Customs External Standard-Deferment document (SC-DT.-B-02) effective 27 November 2015 stipulates that, in addition to the twelve regular payment dates chosen by the client, there will be a thirteenth (13th) payment in March every year.

The Statement period for this financial year (2019/2020) 13th payment will close on the 30 March 2020 at 15:00 and payment must be made no later than 15:00, and e-statements will be available after 15:01 on 30 March 2020 for account holders who are on e-filing.  Account-holders not on e-filing should make prior arrangements to collect the statements at their Custome Branch Offices.

Stakeholders are advised that in cases where their bank does not transfer direct payments immediately that they should ensure that payment is made sufficiently in advance.  For a copy of the press release, please contact Angelique at secretary@middelburginfo.com.

Construction Charter – Limited Services

What is the definition of local communities with limited services?  The Construction Charter requires that communities with limited services benefit. MCCI has designed a project where your company can participate in for your BBBEE scorecard.

By looking at the latest STATS SA census results filtered to the local municipality level, it is to determine if households in a community have less than 65% access to piped water or if less than 85% of the households have access to electricity. If the community is categorised as a limited services community, you as a company can get bonus points when assisting these communities.

Do you need assistance on BBBEE scorecard? Need Bonus points? We can help! By helping you reach your target on BBBEE scorecard, we can help communities with limited services.  MCCI has an exceptional track record for ten-years.

Contact Middelburg Chamber today 0132432253 or email businesslink@middelburginfo.com

Hot off the Press2020 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 176 contact names, numbers, and GPS coordinates.

Contact Angelique for more information at 013 243 2253 or secretary@middelburginfo.com.

Isuzu Middelburg 20 February 2020 Business Buzz

Isuzu Middelburg, part of the Qembu Group hosted the 20 February 2020 Business Buzz. Ian Strydom, Dealer Principal of the Isuzu Branch, welcomed the attendees. Ian gave a brief history of Opel and their company’s partners, achievements and goals for the future. The event was a huge success with over 109 attendees and some extra prizes that were given away on the night.

The next Business Buzz is held on 19 March 2020 and hosted by Procom Distributors at their premises in Middelburg Industrial.

For more information or to host a Business Buzz, contact the Sales & Marketing Team at the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 013 243 2253.

SA Budget 2020

What will the impact be of South Africa’s budget presented by the Minister of Finance on 26 February 2020?

MCCI has arranged a networking event on 18 March 2020, where economist Isaac Matshego from Nedbank, will be shining the light on SA Budget 2020. This event has become a tradition, and we hope to see you there. Come and network over a cup of coffee with our neighbours.

Save the date 18 March for more information or to book your seat, contact Valerie at businesslink@middelburginfo.com

SACCI Media Statement on the Budget Speech

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), notes the budget speech presented by Minister Mboweni.

Whilst we acknowledge the tough economic times faced by South Africa, we think this speech missed a critically important opportunity to re-imagine the future of the South African economy.

There was not enough detail in the speech on the investment expenditure and allocation of resources to stimulate confidence and growth.

For instance, the Minister announced an R18bn inventive to industry to retain or create 56500 jobs without being specific on where this is to be spent and in what type of programmes. This creates an impression that the Economic Cluster still only has a vague appreciation of the challenging economic conditions and it is not adequately prepared to deal with such conditions appropriately.

Similarly, an amount of R6.5bn in small business incentives was allocated with only R2.2bn going to the SEDA. We are not clear what and where the other R4.4bn will be spent. The funding for SMME development and financing should be prioritized as it gives us the main hope of addressing unemployment. It is in the SMME segment where we will get a better return on job creation and innovative economic development.

We would have also preferred to see decisiveness on the macro economic issues and a link in the expenditure to how South Africa intends to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as resource plans on how we plan to deliver of the WEF Global Competitiveness pillars to make SA an attractive investment destination and chart the roadmap to move SA from a developing to a developed economy so that we can deal with the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment,  and inequality. These are initiatives critical to drive innovation, industrialization and the necessary infrastructure.

We are also unclear how the budget responds to the need to create a capable and efficient state. The budget was silent on how this is to be resourced. We are none the wiser as a society on how we are going rationalise our State-Owned Entities to ensure that they play a constructive role in unlocking and sustaining the value of our economy.

We hope Minister Mboweni will be giving further details and clarifications on all these matters through a definitive, consistent and structured manner to the relevant Stakeholders such as Organised Business and Labour, with a clear Outcomes oriented approach to demonstrate the urgency and intensity required to stimulate Africa’s most industrialised economy. Continue reading SACCI Media Statement on the Budget Speech