Tag: #Middelburg #stlm

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.

Municipal Energy Scenarios

Municipal Energy Scenarios

The National Treasury and various institutions have so far held three workshops to discuss a plausible energy future for South Africa.

The aim of these workshops is to develop energy scenarios for municipal energy decisions. South African metropolitan municipalities, the Presidential Climate Commission, the South African Local Government Association, the Public Affairs Research Institute, the National Treasury Cities Support Programme and other partners will support the process.

During the workshop, one of the key issues highlighted was whether government can generate growth through efficient spending. It is important that municipalities be able to improve the use of grants from government funds, or can municipalities change their electricity tariffs to address inefficiencies? Do municipalities rely on surcharges to generate revenue from municipal services?

Some measures required by municipalities and the government are to find solutions for future energy security by introducing cost-reflective tariff structures.  Treasury has to fund municipalities more efficiently and municipalities need to develop a better understanding of the costs of providing basic electricity services.

There seems to be some disconnect between non-governmental organisations and consultants on how income is generated and, in certain circumstances, how municipal revenue streams work. The continued installation of solar by companies, the decline in paying customers and the amount of electricity purchased is a cause for concern. And on the other hand, there have been calls to increase subsidies for low-income households.

The economy and business’ demands for affordable, reliable baseload to strengthen our manufacturing and industry are seen as hindering the implementation of green energy initiatives. It is important that the government strengthen the coherence between energy supply, industrial policy and job security. MCCI believes that we need to strengthen the local voice of business. Members interested in attending the next meeting with Anna-Marth Ott, please email ceo@middelburginfo.com.

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.