121st AGM and Executive Election 2024

121st AGM and Executive Election 2024

Save the date! MCCI’s 121st Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 14 March 2023 at 17:00, at Rustique Boutique Hotel, Old Belfast Road (R104) Rondebosch, Riverside Estate, Middelburg.

Your presence is crucial in ensuring competent Executive Members are elected, representing the Middelburg business community.  MCCI Members are invited to nominate candidates for the 2024/25 period at the 121st AGM. Nomination forms are available at the office.

Members are urged to confirm their attendance by 13 March 2023 to ensure a successful AGM. If you are unable to come to the AGM, please fill out a proxy form and send it back to the office by March 12th, 2024.

We have emailed the notice, nomination, proxy forms and minutes to the membership. Please contact Zelda on 013 243 2253 or member.support@middelburgchamber.com for more information

MCCI’s Buzz for 2024 ended on a high note

MCCI’s Buzz for 2024 ended on a high note

The last Business Buzz was held on 23 November 2023 at @ Point-S Tyrelube Highveld, September Street, Middelburg.

It was a warm and balmy evening as business people socialised, networked and did business, and Piet Pretorius thanked the Middelburg Tyrelube team for their excellent customer service. Many new contacts were made and some old ones deepened.

Hosting a Business Buzz is one of the most effective methods to market your business or product to a captive audience. Reserve your business’ buzz for 2024, there are only a few time slots available, reach out to Mmabatho Phathakge at info@middelburginfo.com to secure your spot.

We rolled away another year

We rolled away another year

The Middelburg Information Centre hosted its second Christmas Bowls Fun Day for members who wanted to spend a fun day in the sun to end of 2023.

Friends and colleagues competed against each other with their lawn bowling skills. Laughter and groans could be heard on the field when the ball rolled in the wrong direction or a friend’s ball was knocked out of the way. In the world of work, there are colleagues you say hello to but have nothing to do with work wise. The annual Bowls Day is about team building with your colleagues and not just your team members. Nashua Mpumalanga is the 2023 Christmas Bowls Day Champion.

We enjoyed the braai, the sunshine, and the great camaraderie with everyone who attended. Thank you to the members for supporting our new event. We will organise it again next year. Look out for the invitation in the press.

Why should I take part in an industry tour?

Why should I take part in an industry tour?

The Middelburg Tourist Office has organised an industrial tour on 16 November 2023.

One of the best ways to get an insight into the real working environment, workplaces, plants, assembly lines, machines and systems and to interact with highly trained and experienced personnel is to participate in an organised industrial tour. During the tour, managers, students and engineers gain practical knowledge and first-hand experience of the complexities of the various industries.

On this tour, we visited Columbus Stainless (Pty) Ltd and gained an insight into the complex technical and metallurgical processes and safety requirements needed to produce stainless steel. We participated in a three-hour tour of the huge plant and saw interesting steel manufacturing processes and systems.

After a great lunch sponsored by Columbus, we headed to the OH Frewin printing plant where we visited the printing museum and learned about the complex process of the printing industry with “wrong and true printing” and the various intricate parts to make a printed form or the many colourful flyers that are printed daily. Visitors marvelled at some of the older printing presses still in operation and the latest technology that is printing thousands of pages per hour.

The industrial visit brings clarity to key management concepts and shows first-hand how these concepts are put into practise. It bridge the gap between theoretical principles and practical applications. They offer students the opportunity to ask questions about their area of interest. Visits to industry allow visitors to familiarise themselves with future areas of work. Visitors learn about best practises used by different companies for similar tasks.

Instead of traveling overseas, you can experience the same expertise right at your doorstep.  To attend our next organised tour, contact Anna-Marth Ott at midcham@iafrica.com.

MCCI connected with Hong Kong

MCCI connected with Hong Kong

Moeketsi Mpotu, President of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), met with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong at the end of September.

There are trade delegations between different countries and direct trade from company to company in the world. But sometimes you need a helping hand, the right contact or confirmation from the company you are planning to trade with. How can you make sure that it is a reputable company and not a front for various criminal activities?

MCCI is part of the global chamber network and with one call and your MCCI credentials; many chamber doors are open to you. You can also check if a business is a genuine business by asking MCCI to contact their counter part in the part of the world where you want operate in. We can at least confirm if the Chamber knows about the business.

Moeketsi met with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, the second largest chamber in Hong Kong, which has nearly 6,000 members. They indicated their willingness to sign a memorandum of understanding with SACCI and MCCI. We have already made the first contact. Moeketsi also met with the Africa Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong. They know the African continent well and offered their help in accessing the Hong Kong market and thus also the Chinese mainland.

Your MCCI membership opens many doors for our members. Contact us if you are travelling overseas to make global contacts, the Chamber can connect you with our network. Members interested in contact details and other information on doing business with Hong Kong should contact A Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

TVET Nkangala – Middelburg Campus – Business Buzz

TVET Nkangala – Middelburg Campus – Business Buzz

The Business Buzz held at the Middelburg Campus of Nkangala TVET on 24 August 2023 was very informative and members could see the training workshops and the various equipment used to train students.

The Principal of the Middelburg Campus, Catin Maimela, proudly announced that the campus had been accredited to conduct vocational examinations. Members could see with their own eyes how the students were trained.

The next business networking event will be a Business Buzz at the new Regis Offices, hosted by Nungu Properties on 21 September 2023. Invitations will be sent out in the first week of September.

For more information or to host a Business Buzz, please contact Mmabatho or Christo at the MCCI office on 013 243 2253 or email info@middelburginfo.com.

CIBA Roadshow

CIBA Roadshow

The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) hosted the Chartered Institute for Business Accountants NPC (CIBA) in our auditorium on 27 July 2023.

Mr Nicolaas van Wyk, Chief Executive Officer of CIBA and board member of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), organised the workshop for the local accountants. Without a functioning local chamber of commerce, many important business issues are ignored and with a strong voice for business, common solutions are achieved, said van Wyk. He also said that SMEs face numerous challenges, where an accountant can play an important role in helping businesses.

Through the CIBA and Chambers networks, businesses can work together to strengthen their networks, grow their business, and become part of a movement that works for the betterment of South Africa.

The MCCI application form can be found on our website https://middelburginfo.com/membership/. For more information about CIBA, please visit www.saiba.org.za.

Snap Chat with a Difference

Snap Chat with a Difference
MCCI hosted the first Speed Networking Session for 2023, and judging by the enthusiasm generated by the exchange of information between business people, the event was another success.
The idea of the Speed Networking event is that a person gives a one-minute pitch of their business, service, or product. Then, within five minutes, you exchange information with the person sitting in front of you. After five minutes, you move on and then talk to another person from a different company. After that, you still have the opportunity to talk to the people you missed.
At the end of the hour of snap chatting, you have a lot of contact details or at least one more person knows about your business and what it offers. Save the date for the next speed networking event: 18 May 2023, at the MCCI Auditorium 12:00 – 14:00. Look out for the invitation to be sent out in early May 2023. For more information, contact Mmabatho at 013 243 2253 or at info@middelburginfo.com.

120th AGM and election for MCCI 2023 Executive

120th AGM and election for MCCI 2023 Executive

The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) will hold it’s 120th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and is calling on our members to nominate candidates for the 2023/24 election.

MCCI will hold the 120th AGM on 9 March 2023 at 17:00, at the Auditorium, Middelburg Information and Chamber Centre, 292 Walter Sisulu Street, Middelburg.

I request members to confirm their attendance by 9 March 2023. If you cannot attend the AGM, please complete a proxy form and return it to the office by 7 March 2023.
Your presence is essential to ensure the election of competent Executive Members to represent the business community of Middelburg.

We have emailed the notice, nomination, proxy forms and minutes to the membership. Please contact Mmabatho on 013 243 2253 or info@middelburginfo.com for more information.

We rolled away another year

We rolled away another year

Middelburg Information Centre held its first Christmas Bowls Fun Day for members who wanted to have a fun day in the sun to end off 2022.

Friends and colleagues competed against each other with their lawn bowling skills. Laughter and groans could be heard around the field as the ball rolled the wrong way or your friend’s ball was knocked out of the way. Our Father Christmas announced the winners of the day and handout out gifts and chocolates. Harcourts Real Estate Agency is the 2022 Christmas Bowls Day Champions.

We enjoyed the braai, the sunshine, and the great camaraderie with everyone who attended. Thank you to the members for supporting our new event. We will host it again next year. Just look out for the invite in the press.