Category: Uncategorized

DOL visiting local Businesses

DOL visiting local Businesses
Many local businesses have been visited by the Department of Labour (DOL) inspectors recently.A company reaches out to you to inform you of their poster sales for the Basic Conditions of Employment and Occupational Health and Safety Acts. You buy the set because you want to display the poster as prescribed. Then the Department of Labour arrives a few weeks later to examine your personnel documents, a week or so later an inspector from DOL comes and checks the safety conditions in your office.

Employers with less than 20 employees are exempt, according to the OHS Act. Sorry, but you have to follow all the regulations. DOL has doubts about the Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Occupational Commissioner and will, therefore, audit all companies, big or small.

The targeting of small and medium enterprises by DOL might be a coincidence, you decide. DOL’s approach puts more pressure on small businesses. According to DOL, employers are required to keep shop-purchased dish soap in a well-ventilated closet and you are prohibited from providing your staff with chairs without armrests. Comments like these make you ask yourself, “Why am I running my business?

Are there any resources available to help small and medium-sized enterprises? Can DOL award grants to assist all small and medium-sized enterprises in complying with its rules and regulations?

MCCI has always urged its members to comply with any regulations that apply to our businesses. If starting and running a business was made easier, there would be a significant increase in SMME growth and employment.

We celebrated the Wit and Wisdom of Women

We celebrated the Wit and Wisdom of Women

The Middelburg Chamber’s annual Women’s Day event was a glorious celebration of women and what we care about.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Nashua, Twizza, Lizwile Engineering, Hermansdal Landgoed, Alveston Manor Spa, Jonsson Wear, Columbus Stainless, Reena’s Linen-N-Luggage, Thos Begbie, PWC, MRP, Abafazi Ne Bhodo and Toda Products, your support ensured the tremendous success of the event. A special thank you goes to Nomvula Mokoena, AKA DJ Sunshine, our MC for the day, and to our motivational speaker Diana Jansen.

One hundred and forty ladies attended our event and socialized, danced, and recharged their batteries for the year ahead. May the Almighty God bless you abundantly. And you, dear women, let us do it again the following year, 2023.

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.

Be Warned: Change in Property Valuation

Be Warned: Change in Property Valuation
Members of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry met with Mr Phumlane Mkhize, Director of Property Valuation, of the Steve Tshwete Municipal on Monday, 17 January 2022. The meeting was chaired by Mr Gerrit van der Merwe, Executive Member: Real Estate.

Mkhize told members that the STLM property valuation system for commercial properties will be changed and introduced in July 2023. The property valuations will be completed by June 2022 to facilitate future implementation. The purpose of the meeting was to inform property owners why the valuation system is changing and how the calculations will be done.

The law on the valuation of property values was amended in 2004. The Act has allowed access to the financial data of your business to determine its value:

  1. (1) A municipal assessor or deputy municipal assessor may.
    (a) require the owner, tenant or occupier of a property which the valuer must value in terms of this Act, or the agent of the owner, to give the valuer access to any document or information in possession of the owner, tenant, occupier or agent which the valuer reasonably requires for the purpose of valuing the propertyWhat does the above mean? The STLM valuer may request your profit and loss account and then review your finances considering rental income and occupancy percentage. The complete profit and loss account or balance sheet will not be considered, only maintenance and expenses directly related to the upkeep of the property. When valuing the property, capital repayments, interest, and other expenses that are not directly related to the upkeep of the property are not considered.It is not uncommon for property valuations in STLM to be well below market values. Depending on the classification of the property, a fraction of the property’s market value is used in the classification of the property. For example, a property currently valued at R13 000 000 and subject to a municipal tax rate of 0.0333 will be taxed at R432 900 per annum or R36 075 per month. If the value is increased to R20 000 000, the monthly tax payable increases to R55 500, which has a drastic effect on input costs. Values are calculated using a market capitalisation rate based on income for commercial rental properties. For owner-occupied commercial buildings, the valuation is based on the average market value of comparable buildings in the same area. Residential properties are valued on the same basis, whereby the property value correlates with the market value, which depends strongly on the designated area.

Although the blanket approach aligns with aligns and common practice, it has provoked strong reactions. For example, a landlord rents out a building for R345 per square metre, while his neighbour’s comparable building can only be rented out for R55 per square metre. This will undoubtedly affect the average rent per square metre used for valuations. If you feel that your property has been assessed inappropriately, you can appeal the value, but not the municipal tax rate, as STLM Council and COGTA make this decision.

Every business has its environment that determines the sustainability of each individual business, tenant and property owner.

The pandemic has highlighted how vulnerable businesses are to environmental changes and input costs. Rent, a substantial cost for most businesses, has come under severe pressure since the pandemic.

Members requested that MCCI appoint a sub-committee to find a solution to ensure that the process is beneficial to both the municipality and businesses. Members interested in participating in the subcommittee, don’t hesitate to contact Anna-Marth Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

 

A new way for UIF to pay Covid19 Ters Benefits – directly to workers

A new way for UIF to pay Covid19 Ters Benefits – directly to workers

The Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, today signed the order allowing the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to implement a third extension of the Covid19 TERS benefit.

The UIF scheme will open on 19 July 2021, and payments will start on 26 July 2021.

However, there is one primary condition that has changed. Payments will be made directly into employees’ bank accounts rather than through their employers. Employers will still be expected to apply on their behalf.

The third phase will bring relief for the following categories of workers:

  • Workers who could not work from 16 March 2021 because Level 1, 2 and 3 restrictions prevent gatherings of a certain number of people – for example, in the entertainment industry;
  • Workers who were or are still affected by the Stage 4 restrictions that came into force on 28 June 2021; and
  • Workers who could not work during this period because they are over 60 or have comorbidities, and those who had to be isolated or quarantined.

The UIF has agreed to open the window for Phase 3 of Covid TERS to cover 16 March 2021 to 25 July 2021.

The qualifying sectors for Phase 3 of Covid TERS are listed in Annexure A of the Direction, including venues hosting auctions, professional sports, social events, and concerts and live performances. Annexure B includes all sectors affected by Level 4 lockdown restrictions, including restaurants, the liquor industry, hospitality and tourism, and all industries and business establishments that are part of these value chains.

Further operational details will be included in a letter sent directly to employers. The letter, along with the guidelines, will be available on both the TERS portal (www.uifecc.labour.gov.za) and the Employment and Labour website (www.labour.gov.za ).

 

The Information Center Supports Family Fun this Easter.

The Information Center Supports Family Fun this Easter.

The Middelburg Tourism Information Center is offering a Do It Yourself (DIY) Easter-hunt.

We are selling uniquely decorated boxes full of Easter sweets and age-appropriate activities. Easter-hunt clues were added for each parent to easily DIY it at home or on holiday.

Special considerations were made for age, gender and even dietary requirements. Sponsorships came pouring in from many businesses in town,

namely 3@1, Njala Guesthouse, Dros Middelburg, Thomas Ngema Trading, Twizza and Happy Kids Daycare.

 

A huge thank you goes out to all the Sponsors. What a fantastic initiative that brings in local businesses and brings families closer together.

We can’t wait to see what’s next in store for Middelburg.

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.

Has SARS and DEA the correct tools to implement Carbon Tax

At the Highveld Priority Air Quality meeting held on 19 June 2019, a presentation was made on the data recovery of measured air pollution for February – April 2019, and they were only able to measure an average of 67,8% in Witbank.  How will the Department of Environmental Affairs reliably measure Carbon Emissions?  As it is our economy is under strain, and MCCI is concerned how this additional tax will impact our economy and local employment.

Below is a summary of the Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) comments.  BUSA said that the SARS consultative process consisted of a publication date in May 2019 and extension in June.  Also, how SARS requested input made it difficult to comment on this important tax. The SARS documents on carbon tax were posted on their website for public comment.

The date for comments was extended to 14 June 2019, which is after the date of the tax liability commencing while the extension of the deadline for comment is welcomed as it means that taxpayers will be expected to make financial provision for the carbon tax liability, before the Rules and procedures, which are the basis for financial provision, being available.

A completely new set of Rules for a new tax was drafted.  These rules require extensive and specialised review. National Treasury and SARS undertook to ensure a consultative process in respect of the development of these Rules.  Despite written requests from (BUSA) to clarify the process and timelines, this consultation has not taken place. A preliminary review reveals that very few of the concerns raised by BUSA and other commentators on the prospective Rules have been adequately taken into account in their development.

There also appears to have been insufficient engagement internally between the National Treasury (the drafters of the policy and Act) and SARS, as well as between national Government Departments (the National Treasury and the [former] Department of Environmental Affairs). The references to the internal consultation between DEA as the custodian of the emissions data and SARS in the slide presentation on the administration of the carbon tax, which has been shared with BUSA, are not reflected in the draft rules.

… “4. Carbon tax administration (institutional arrangements)

Implementation of the carbon tax requires an accurate system for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions. …

It is clear from the comments above that a significant amount of work is required to address the concerns raised. The required changes were implemented without understanding the reasoning for neglecting to address the commitments made on specific approaches to the administration of the carbon tax.

The full document is available at the secretariat, at secretary@middelburginfo.com