Tag: #BUSINESSES

Protect your Export Business to Europe

Protect your Export Business to Europe

Multiple countries has contacted the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce seeking verification of the authenticity of the South African business they are importing from, both in 2023 and January of this year.

The Financial Action Task Force added South Africa to its “grey list” for increased monitoring on 24 February 2023. In August 2023, the Department of Social Development revealed that less than 7,000 out of approximately 18,000 registered NPOs in Mpumalanga complied with the NPO regulations. And that more than half of the 256,212 NPOs registered in South Africa since 2002 were non-compliant.  The Beeld of 29 January 2024 posted an article of a Moody’s report stated that  61,000  companies have the same address.  No wonder MCCI is receiving these enquiries.

Global companies are aware of and utilize the extensive Chamber of Commerce network in the global economy.  To ensure the credibility of a company they are buying from, importers can rely on the speed and safety of verifying the exporter’s chamber membership.

MCCI encourages businesses exporting to Europe to reach out for additional details.  Feel free to reach out to Christo Stemmet at admin@middelburgchamber.com.

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

CSOS opened the Mpumalanga Office

CSOS opened the Mpumalanga Office

Community Schemes Ombud Services (CSOS) opened their Mbombela Office on Thursday, 10 January 2024. The office will operate at Riverside Park, Mbombela.

The CSOS serves as the Ombud for all community schemes in South Africa. Its services include resolving disputes, ensuring the quality of governance documents for community schemes, and offering training and consumer education.

A Community Scheme refers to any arrangement where land and buildings are shared and responsibilities are shared among multiple parties. This includes sectional titles’ development schemes, share block companies, homeowner’s associations, retirement housing schemes, and housing cooperatives. Contact CSOS at info@csos.org.za.

MCCI welcomed the CSOS office in Mpumalanga, and trust that another satellite office will be established in the Highveld Region of Mpumalanga.

Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Pilot

Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Pilot

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) held a workshop on 22 January 2024 to introduce their pilot project to capture and utilise CO2. The project will be in Leandra, Mpumalanga.

The allocated area contains minerals that are highly reactive with anthropogenic CO2. These minerals largely include plagioclase and ortho pyroxenes. This encourages mineral trapping (in situ carbonation). The geochemical conversion of CO2 reduces the risk of leakage over time.

CGS has signed MoUs with Sasol and Exxaro to collaborate on the project. Both organizations have knowledge and skills in-house that can be used in CCUS-related processes. Additionally, they have the potential to supply the CO2 needed for test injection.

CCUS conducted a 3D seismic survey to gain knowledge and understanding of the subsurface geology and related structures.  They drilled an 1800 m stratigraphic core borehole that targeted the basalt horizons earmarked for injection. They plan to include a suite of downhole geological techniques.  Some of the downhole activities are Geological and Geotech logging, hydrogeology, downhole geophysics and vertical seismic profiling.

The data collected will provide clarity on the strength of favourable geological and environmental conditions, influencing the decision on geology’s sustainability for CO2.  injection.  Groundwater information is also part of the data collected.

Detailed engineering designs for the pilot plant are being worked on by Carbfix. CCUS is expecting to inject between 10,000 or 50,000 tons of CO2 into the basalts. The site is also considering other storage options like saline aquifers and coal seams. The completion of the design is scheduled for February 2024.

The CCUS project will bring innovation and enhance the skill level of the business community.  Any member needing more information should contact Anna-Marth Ott at ceo@middelburgchamber.com.

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.

MCCIs Employees of the Month for November

MCCIs Employees of the Month for November

It is with pleasure that MCCI introduce the employee nominated by Columbus Stainless Steel (Pty) Ltd as the Member Employee of the Month.

Congratulations to Ms Zandile Mashaba and Catherine Phahlane November 2023.

Zandile and Catherine are very passionate about their work and both go above and beyond to make every event professional and special. They work long hours and nothing is too much trouble.

 Zandile, with the support of Catherine, has introduced many initiatives at Columbus to improve morale and communication and she always has fresh ideas, never forgetting the difficult economic times we are all facing. A highlight was the recent Women’s Day Health and Wellness High Tea organised by Corporate Affairs with less than two days’ notice. It was the first event of its kind in Columbus and was a tremendous success. The speakers talked about important topics related to women’s wellness. It was not only about wellness from a health perspective but also financial and emotional aspects.

Sharon Muller used her award award to recognise both Zandile and Catherine for their hard work and commitment to Columbus and the community of Middelburg in general. It is not a straightforward task to meet a multitude of expectations and satisfy expectations by all.

Keep an eye out for our January employee of the month. 

To nominate a staff member, members can reach out to Anna-Marth Ott or Christo Stemmet at 013 243 2253 or enquiries@middelburginfo.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.

Blood, Sweat and Spectacles

Blood, Sweat and Spectacles

It was a hotly contested Amazing Race Saturday.  28th of October 2023 was a memorable day; the country was on tender hooks, because of the Rugby World Cup final that evening. Nevertheless, ten teams started their day competing in the Amazing Race 2023 Middelburg. They gave it their all, some their blood, some their tears and the deciding factor was spectacles.

At the start of the race, everyone was dressed to the nines, or rather in their rugby shirts, t-shirts or as branded teams. The energy was palpable and one or two team members looked like they were waiting in the starting blocks for the whistle.

The MCCI marshals held the envelopes ready and then Zelda blew the whistle for the race to start. Fortunately, no animals or small children were harmed in the race for the first clue. The teams scattered like rabbits to their vehicles, to be the first at clue number 1.

What fun it is to marshal this event. Some people could park like champions; others could not even read GPS coordinates to save their lives, and anyone who saw the teams at BUCO, no, that was the race, not crazies in the store. Brimis, your clue was perplexing and many stood in front of your gate looking around like zombies ready to attack. Water and fire were the challenges at Vivo Bingo and the region’s tourism stops.

Two teams were neck and neck to the end, and If Erica van Zyl and her team of JJ Engineering had not lost her glasses in the challenge at Alveston Manor, Nico Denner and his Gemecs team would not have won for the Amazing Race for the third time.

Everyone who took part, from the little ones to the more experience team members, everybody had fun. See you in September 2024 for our next Amazing Race.