Tag: Keep Middelburg Safe

Are you a manager or the owner of a Business?

Are you a manager or the owner of a Business?
In the past year, many companies have had to deal with local issues that normally have no impact on their operations. Have you felt powerless and isolated as a manager or owner of a business with the municipality closed?

Even though it seemed like nothing was happening at the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry during this time, many of the business owners who sat on the Executive worked in the background to find a mediated solution. You do not have to stand outside and not know what is happening. Become a member of the MCCI, and you can play an active role in the strategies that influence the town’s growth.

What do you think should happen in the city in the next five to six years? Do you own property, have your own business or run a company? Your input and participation are valuable; your future is at stake. Why should you rely on politics for your future? Work together with other businesses for the future of Middelburg and Steve Tshwete.

A reminder to members: if you have a question or concern, we are only a phone call away, or you can reach me at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

Comment on 14 June 2022 Municipal Strike 

Comment on 14 June 2022 Municipal Strike 

The lack of service delivery by Steve Tshwete Municipality is intolerable. Many of the services provided have not been adequately delivered since 25 March 2020, when the norm was to work (or not work) from home. Covid19 Lockdown has broken the municipality and created a culture of poor work performance.

The STLM leadership has given the strikers the power to ruin our town by giving in to their demands. Essential and vital services to the business community are not being provided. The current situation cannot be allowed to continue. Ignoring the complaints and demands of the businesses does not mean that the problems will miraculously disappear; no, the situation will worsen. The state of affairs creates an ideal environment for corruption and bribes. Also, why are the strikers allowed to use municipal vehicles as transport for the strike?

MCCI is asking the business community: are you satisfied? Will the problems be miraculously fixed once STLM is working again? Nowhere in business will a problem disappear if you ignore it, you have to work on the problem to solve it. Your silence means you agree with the municipalities decisions and lack of service. Significant future investments and developments are being hampered by the political gamesmanship of our STLM leadership and councillors.

Perhaps we should look at what STLM services can be outsourced to make the economy work? MCCI will ask the various political parties to meet with the Executive Committee to find a solution to make our city fully functional and attractive for investment.

What changes to STLM infrastructure/services are required for your business in the next five years?

What changes to STLM infrastructure/services are required for your business in the next five years?

The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry has requested the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM) to meet with businesses regarding input in the new Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for 2022 2027, which is being developed. This is in line with the Municipal Systems Act, Chapter 5, which requires municipalities to develop a new 5-year plan directly linked to the term of office of municipal councillors.

The Municipal Systems Act (2000) requires municipalities to prepare a 5-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP) that integrates planning and implementation and provides a framework for all development activities in the municipal area.

Contributions to the IDP have been sought at recent district committee meetings. Most attendees are local residents and are focused on their immediate needs, such as methods of speed calming on a busy residential street. Any business person who has attended scheduled Ward Committee meetings will have noted that the focus is not on a business-friendly agenda. What are general business needs in the CBD compared to the needs of the various other municipality areas where our businesses operate?

The STLM Local Economic Development Forum will hold the IDP meeting with business stakeholders on 5 April 2022 at 09:00 at the STLM Council Chamber.

We strongly encourage business owners to attend the above meeting to table any infrastructure or service delivery issues affecting your business. Is your business regularly affected by flooding due to inadequate stormwater drainage? Please attend and raise the issue. Or, if your business’ water supply is an issue, this is the best platform to get STLM to take note of business concerns. You know when there are municipal issues affecting your business. Still, if the issues are not included in the STLM’s communication structure, they seem to be off the table.

In light of recent events, the business community needs to pressure STLM officials and councillors to deliver on their promises.

We want our town back

We want our town back
It is the responsibility of every municipality to create an enabling environment for business. How many jobs and businesses will be displaced if municipal services are not accessible to the public and businesses? Is a job in the municipality more important than a job in the industrial area?

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his SONA speech that the role of businesses is essential to the country. Still, if we cannot register the vehicles sold, several businesses are affected. If we cannot complete the sale of a house, many businesses are affected. If there is a water shortage … and the story goes on. The business community depends on our municipal services to run optimally and without prejudice and malice. The management of Steve Tshwete Municipality must act quickly and solve the problems in their various departments.

In November 2021, MCCI offered its support in mediation to find a positive outcome to the strike that did not harm the community at large. As a collective, we have a lot of experience dealing with strikes and know how best to succeed. An example of this is the recent NUMSA strike in October 2021; thousands of workers were unhappy, many companies were affected, but there was a solution in the end. We expect nothing less from our local government. If we do not find a final solution soon, the unhappy working environment will not be solved. Those that have a role to play, the politicians, the management, SALGA and CoCGTA, must end the strike immediately.

There is a worrying wave of crime directed against our businesses and business premises. Vandalism and sabotage seem acceptable behaviour; where is SAPS, where is the discipline required to stop this? What do those involved think will happen if we continue down this disastrous path?

We want our town back. We want the town that won Masekane; we want the cleanest town in Mpumalanga, the one with the lowest crime rate and steady economic growth. We want the town where we talked to each other, regardless of political affiliation, history, or other identities that seemed essential to certain people. We want our town back.

Congratulations to Alveston Manor

Congratulations to Alveston Manor
The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry would like to congratulate the owners of Alveston Manor on their recent investment in the town. Alveston Manor opened the new spa and coffee shop in its boutique hotel on Friday, 3 December 2021.

The pandemic COVID and the various decisions made by the government have had a very negative impact on our tourism industry. The way businesses conduct their meetings, site visits, and contractual obligations have changed, and many use digital tools to replace physical inspections. All these decisions have also impacted the accommodation industry. We all need to find a way for tourism businesses to benefit from these changes.

Middelburg needs investment, not only to boost our economy but also to show that we believe in the future of our town. We thank you for your investments and wish all tourism businesses not only to survive the new measures of COVID but also to flourish in 2022.

Chaos in Middelburg

Chaos in Middelburg

The business community has watched the recent riots and unrest in Middelburg with distress.

The business community has taken some hard knocks in the last five years. The inflated cost of electricity, the COVID19 closures in 2020 and 21, our employees are getting sick due to COVID19, our businesses having to close for a few days, the cost of sanitation and other PPE’s, to top it all off, the cost of raw materials like copper. The disaster of the July riots disrupted our supply lines and exports. Also, the unpopularity of coal in the global arena even led to hundreds of people losing their jobs last week. All these factors affect our economy.

The one advantage we had over our competitors was that Middelburg had a well-functioning city government. We cannot afford any more disruptions to our businesses. We call on the municipality and all stakeholders to solve the problems that agitated the citizens. We want to rebuild our businesses, protect the jobs of the people we employ, and grow our economy.

Middelburg has a reputation for being able to discuss and solve complex problems in the past. We can do it again.

 

Crime is like the black plague in our region

Crime is like the black plague in our region

The price tag of crime cannot be measured in the immediate cost of losses or property damage, but businesses and the national economy bear the brunt of the costs associated with crime and crime prevention.

Whether at work or home, the consequences of the negative psychological impact of exposure to crime must also be considered.

Since the COVID Level 5 Lockdown, authorities have focused on areas not associated with traditional crime in our urban areas.

The idea of the new normal of working “remotely” seems to me to have opened the floodgates for criminal activity. When you try to have a

conversation with officials, you often get the same response, “I work from home and can’t take care of the problem right now,” or the Police Station is closed for COVID.

After a quick review of the most recent South African Police Crime statistics publication compiled from 1,154 Police Stations,

I noticed that Middelburg was mentioned. Further analysis of the data showed that Middelburg was mentioned 12 times as one of the

30 Police Stations most involved with the 17 serious crimes and categories reported by the community. In the past,

Middelburg Police Station has received awards for the best run Police Station.

The Highveld Region of Mpumalanga, Middelburg, Witbank and Vosman Police Stations were mentioned in fourteen of the seventeen categories.

As a business community, we do not live on an island and only do business with ourselves; we trade with our neighbouring towns, we use the N4 and N12 regularly,

and the criminal acts such as the spikes on the highway have a direct impact on the sustainability of our business, the safety of our employees and the cost of securing our trading activities.

A summary of where our regional Police Stations was mentioned and rated out of 30:

  Police Stations rated out of 30
Crime Middelburg Witbank Vosman
All Theft Not Mentioned Elsewhere 23 10  
Arson   14  
Burglary At Non-Residential Premises 12 24  
Burglary At Residential Premises 12 Witbank 12 26  
Carjacking     15
Commercial Crime   20  
Common Robbery 26    
Community-Reported Serious Crimes   9  
Driving Under The Influence Of Alcohol And or Drugs 20    
Kidnapping 15    
Other Serious Crimes   14  
Property Related Crimes 12 10  
Robbery With Aggravating Circumstances   22  
Theft Out Of Or From Motor Vehicle 18 13  

Middelburg’s business community wants to hear from the Station Commander what the problem is and what needs to be done. We want to work more closely with everyone involved,

and the relationship needs to be rebuilt. There are so many different factors that influence the success of a business, and businesses

cannot reach their full potential if funds have to be used for security purposes instead of capitalizing in areas that would grow their business.

MCCI has invited the Station Commander to attend our Business Middelburg meetings so that we as a collective can address issues that affect our city.

MCCI supports, hosts the Community Police Forum meetings, our members attend, but we as a city need to step forward and turn the

clock back to the early 2000s when our city was a much safer place to live.